The Forgotten
by mansiononahill
Summary: As Regina walked to her office in Town Hall she couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Characters not my own. AU. Based around season 6. Let me know what you think.**

Chapter 1: The Dancer

 _There weren't any auditoriums in Storybrooke. Yet, Regina, no, the Evil Queen, found herself sitting in one. She was the only one in the audience. Front row. Great view of the soloist onstage. A girl and she was dancing._

 _The dancer wasn't a native of Storybrooke. And Regina was sure she'd never seen her before. Her recall of faces was impeccable. The girl couldn't be older than Henry. Give or take, a few years younger. And she danced around a crib. How odd? Regina assumed it was a prop for the dancer's routine. Until the baby inside started crying._

 _The dancer, facing away from her one member audience, faltered in her steps. When she finally turned, her white costume was covered in blood. And her eyes, once locked with the Evil Queen's, burned with fire. The dancer held her gaze and screamed._

* * *

"Mom, are you okay?" Henry's concerned voice pulled Regina from her thoughts.

She'd asked Henry if she could walk him to school that morning. To her surprise, he agreed. On the way, they stopped at Granny's for breakfast. Snow was there with baby Neal. His cranky cries had reminded Regina of her dream.

"Yes, Henry. I'm fine." Regina said. "Just thinking?

"Something you wanna talk about?"

"It's nothing, really. Just a…weird dream."

Henry shrugged. Changing the subject to an upcoming math exam. When they made it, Regina hugged him. Henry waved goodbye and ran off with his friends. Regina smiled at him. He was growing so fast, that boy. It seemed like just yesterday he was her little baby.

It was a beautiful day. No clouds. Just blue sky and the sun. The temperature wasn't too bad either. But as Regina walked to her office in Town Hall she couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen. She shrugged that feeling off as she walked into her office.

Regina sat down at her desk.

* * *

Emma and David were done checking in with the dwarves. Laughing at some dumb joke that Sneezy told as they walked back to the sheriff's car. Each of them had a hand on a door, Emma's open, when a girl fell from the sky.

A portal in the sky.

Nonetheless, she did fall.

"What the hell was that?" Emma asked.

"I think you mean _who_." David said.

Father and daughter took off towards the woods. Grumpy trailed not too far behind. They found her a few feet west of the _Leaving Storybrooke_ sign. A young girl lay among leaves and branches. David checked her pulse.

"Call an ambulance!" he called. "She's still alive."

"Who is she?" Emma asked.

"No idea."

* * *

Regina found Emma, Hook, Snow, and Charming in the waiting room. She'd gotten Swan's frantic phone call no later than five minutes after sitting down at her desk.

"What do we know?" she asked.

"Not much." Snow answered. "Whale took her right into surgery."

Twenty minutes later, Emma and Hook had gone to check in on a disturbance at Granny's. David went to get coffee. Snow sat quietly next to Regina. She wanted to ask her something. Regina could tell by the way she kept glancing in her direction. She almost called her on it when Dr. Whale, not in surgery anymore, walked over.

"Dr. Whale?" Snow asked. "Is she-?"

"Dead? No."

Regina and Snow both breathed a sigh of relief.

"But, I don't understand." Regina said. "She fell… from the sky."

"And broke her neck." Whale said. "She should be dead but her body healed itself."

"What?"

"Like magic?" Snow asked.

Dr. Whale nodded. "But she is still unconscious."

"Can we see her?"

"Follow me."

David was catching up when Regina and Snow entered the room. Regina stood frozen in the doorway. The girl in the bed was the dancer from her dream. Her hair was down instead of the tight bun. But it was the same nose, same mouth. A perfectly symmetrical face.

"Here she is." Whale said. "The girl who fell from the sky."

Snow's sharp intake of breath stole Regina's attention. "I think I know her."

 **tbc**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hope you enjoy.**

Chapter Two: Nadja

Snow sat by the dancer (as Regina had grown to call her)'s bedside the next morning. Regina hadn't expected to see her there so early in the morning. And judging by the look on her face, Snow was just as surprised to see her as well. Snow greeted her with a smile. Despite everything that she'd been through she still looked as innocent as the day she rode into Regina's life.

It'd been three days since the dancer fell. Since then she'd been moved to a private, single bed room. The only machine connected to her small body monitored her heartbeat. She was breathing on her own. A good sign. Regina's eyes then fell on the story book in Snow's lap.

"David said he heard my voice. That it soothed him." Snow said. "Maybe it'll help her too."

Regina nodded.

Snow opened the book.

"The other day, you said you knew her." Regina said. "How?"

"I'm hoping she can tell me when she wakes up."

Regina gave Snow a wary look when she handed the book over. Snow excused herself to go to the restroom and call and check up on Neal and David. Regina sighed and took Snow's seat. She opened the book, turned to her story and began reading.

 _Wake up._

Regina looked up. Snow had returned with coffee. She thanked her with a smile.

 _Wake up._

"What?"

"You heard that, too?" Snow asked.

 _Wake up._

Regina and Snow shared a look. Then their gazes turned to the sleeping girl. Her brows were furrowed. Sweat glistened on her forehead. Regina closed the book. She pressed a hand to the girl's forehead.

"She's burning up."

"Fever?"

"I don't know."

Snow moved to the other side of the bed. She saw what Regina saw. The girl wasn't just sweating, she was drenched.

"What the hell?"

"Get Dr. Whale."

By the time Snow returned with the doctor, the dancer had begun unconsciously fighting Regina off. Whale and a nurse came over to help calm the girl.

 _Wake up!_

Regina and Snow stared in horror at the girl who was in their heads. Or they were in hers. Either way, they wouldn't get answers until she woke up.

 _Wake up. Now!_

The nurse removed a syringe from her pocket. Containing a sedative, Regina assumed. Dr. Whale took the syringe from the nurse and went to stick the girl. The dancer grabbed the syringe before it pierced her skin and bolted upright in the bed.

"Where am I?" she breathed.

"You're okay. You're in the hospital." Snow told her.

After scanning the unfamiliar faces in the room, the girl's mismatched eyes (one brown, one blue) found Regina's. She seemed to calm for only a moment. Then she vomited beside the bed.

* * *

The dancer sat up in bed reading _Once Upon a Time_. Although she'd kicked off the blankets and tied up her hair, she was far from comfortable. Dr. Whale had procured her a portable fan but it only helped a little. Why was she so hot? With a groan, the dancer closed the book and got out of bed.

Her body was stiff from sleeping in the same position for the past three days. But to say she'd broken her neck, she was perfectly fine. She walked barefoot down the air-conditioned hallway with no idea where she was going. Dr. Whale told her that she was in a town called Storybrooke. That he'd see to it that she got back to her family in Boston. She'd lied. She wasn't from Boston. And she didn't have family.

The dancer did a three-sixty when she saw the three women in the waiting area. Two of them had been in the room when she woke. The other was blonde and she wore a badge. A cop.

"Hi," the cop said. "Just the person we wanted to see."

The dancer turned.

"Why?"

"I'm Sheriff Swan. You can call me Emma." Emma said. "This is my mom Snow. And Mayor Mills."

"Your mom?"

Emma and Snow nodded.

"We were hoping you could tell us your name." Mayor Mills said.

"My name is Nadja."

The conversation was continued in the "privacy" of Nadja's room, as Emma said. Nadja only answered what was asked of her. Her full name, age, who her parents were. Nadja English, fourteen, deceased. The last thing she remembered before waking up in the hospital was preparing for a recital. Mayor Mills, oddly, wanted to know how long she'd been dancing.

"As long as I can remember," she told her.

Snow told her about the town. Nadja was sure she left out some key elements but she didn't call her on it. She also beamed about her son Neal and husband David. And apparently, she was old enough to be some kid named Henry's grandmother.

"You're staring," Nadja told Mayor Mills.

"I'm sorry."

"It's just that you look very familiar." Snow said. "Maybe we've met before."

"I think I'd remember if I met someone named after Snow White."

* * *

 _The Evil Queen woke to a terrible pain. No, this was before she was the Evil Queen. When she was just Regina the King's wife. The pain brought bile to her throat. She couldn't form any words so she screamed for help._

 _None came._

 _Nadja stood at the foot of the bed. Dressed in white like the last dream. Her eyes still ablaze. And she smiled at the hurting queen_.

* * *

Regina jerked awake. It took a moment for her mind to realize that she wasn't in pain. That it was just a dream. Her eyes then focused on Snow, staring down at her with a concerned face.

"Snow?"

But it wasn't Snow.

It was Nadja.

"It's just a nightmare."

"How are you doing this? Why are you in my head?"

Nadia smiled. "I'm not in your head. You're in mine."

When Henry walked into his mother's room a few minutes later he found her alone. She looked like she'd seen a ghost.

 **tbc**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: One day late. TW - attempted rape. Nothing graphic.**

Chapter Three: Fire Starter

Regina found Nadja sitting in her hospital bed the next morning. She stared at a tray of food in front of her. It was untouched. Since she'd been admitted into the hospital, the color in her skin was returning. It made it hard to believe her ghostly pale appearance ever existed. Even her hair had darkened back to its natural color. A shade between brown and black.

Emma had loaned her some clothes. Or that's what they told her. Truthfully, Regina had conjured up some items that teenage girls wore in the land without magic. Just regular jeans, a few t-shirts, sandals, and a sweater. There weren't any teenage girls in Storybrooke to borrow from. Now it was only the matter of finding her a place to stay when she got discharged. Dr. Whale was arranging that right now.

"Mayor Mills," Nadja looked up from the story book. "I didn't see you there."

"Call me, Regina."

Nadja nodded. "What are you doing here?"

"I think you and I both know the answer to that question."

Nadja chewed on her lip. Her eyebrows furrowed as she thought about her response. While Regina waited for the girl to speak, she thought about the encounter she had with her in her dream. She hadn't gone back to sleep after. Couldn't shake the fact that she'd felt the pain from the dream. Regina was sure she hadn't imagined it. The whole dream gave her a sense of déjà vu. And it seemed that while Snow had heard Nadja in the hospital, it was only Regina's dreams that she wormed her way into. Or as Nadja put it, Regina was the only one inside of her head.

"I can control it." Nadja said finally. "When I'm awake."

"Me being in your head?"

"Yeah…no. It's complicated."

"There's no possible way you could know what that room looks like."

Nadja's face gave her away. She couldn't have lied if she wanted to. "I may have not told you guys the whole truth yesterday."

Regina tossed a pair of jeans and a shirt at Nadja. Told her that they were going on a "little field trip." Then she sent Snow a text, telling her that she and Nadja were on their way to the apartment.

* * *

 _Local Girl to Blame for Fire_. Snow sat at her dining table reading over the newspaper article that Emma's contact faxed over. She'd had a disconcerting feeling about the girl but this was just too much. Snow closed the folder and turned her attention to Emma.

"Maybe there's another explanation." Snow said.

"She's been on the run for three years." Emma said. "She's not even fourteen."

Snow made a face at that. Regina walked through the front door then with Nadja trailing behind. Emma stood with her arms folded across her chest. She gave Nadja her best sheriff face which Snow tried to combat with a reassuring smile. Nadja shifted her weight from foot to foot and avoided eye contact. She let out a frustrated sigh.

"Look, Nadja," Snow said. "We're here to help. You can trust us. We just want to get you back home safely."

"I don't have a home. And no one's looking for me."

"Of course, they are. You just have to stop running."

Snow watched Nadja as she looked at each woman in the room. The girl chewed on her lip, shaking her head. "The fire was an accident." Nadja said.

"What fire?" Regina asked.

"And I'm sorry if the dreams were fucked up but they're tied to my emotions. And, like I said, I can't control them when I'm asleep. Can I go now?"

Nadja made for the door. Snow grabbed the doorknob before she could reach it. The glare that Nadja gave her was bone chilling. Snow held her stance. After a moment, Nadja took a step back. Snow observed the sweat gathering on Nadja's collarbone and above her eyebrow.

"Let me go." Nadja said.

"Not until we know who brought you here." Snow said.

"Does it really fucking matter? I just want to leave."

"Nadja," Emma said. "You could be in danger. This town could be in danger."

Nadja screamed. When she did a flame shot out of her hand. Snow pressed back against the door. Regina put it out before it could do any real damage. Nadja looked down at her hands, terrified. Emma and Regina stood ready to retaliate. Snow moved away from the door.

"What the hell?" Emma said.

"You and I are a lot alike, Emma." Nadja said. "Except you're born from true love and I'm…not."

Before Snow, Regina, or Emma could question the statement. Nadja let them in her head.

* * *

 _Nadja woke up, sensing a presence in her room. An unwanted presence. The man was drunk off his ass. Barely able to stand upright. Nadja scurried back against the headboard as he lunged at her. She screamed, kicking him away. "Get off of me!"_

 _When she scratched his face, he hissed and slapped her. He came for her then more aggressive than before. His hands were on her stomach beneath her shirt. Nadja was only thirteen but she knew what he wanted. The other girls in the home had warned her about men like him._

" _Stop!" Nadja screamed._

 _When he did, Nadja thought it was because he'd finally come to his senses. But she saw then, as he staggered away from her bed, the burn on the left side of his face. She'd done that. Nadja looked down at her shaking hands._

" _You little bitch!"_

 _This time when he lunged at her, Nadja witnessed the ball of fire shoot from her hand. As he swatted at his burning pajama pants, the duvet caught flame. Then the carpet. Then…everything else._

 _Nadja stumbled down the hallway. Coughing furiously. She found her foster mother, Jenny, asleep in bed. There were cans of beer everywhere. Nadja shook her awake._

 _"Come on, we have to get out." Nadja coughed._

" _John?" Jenny called. "John?"_

 _Nadja and Jenny barely made it through the front door before the room caved in. Jenny slapped Nadja across the face._

" _Look at what you did to my house." Jenny said._

 _As the sirens grew closer, Nadja knew the only way to save herself was to run._

* * *

Nadja was a crying mess. She wiped at her face with trembling hands. It took her a few minutes but she got the tears under control. When Snow went to put a hand on her shoulder, Nadja shrugged away.

"When I was nine, my foster brother and I were riding bikes by the creek." Nadja said, bringing them into her head again. They relived the memory with her. "We weren't supposed to. I lost my balance and stuck my leg out to stop. I hyperextended it and it snapped. Thirty seconds, the worst pain ever. Then it stopped.

"My bones heal themselves and I can shoot fire from my hands. I am not normal. So, when this woman shows up and tells me that she can help me find the 'truth,' I believed her." Nadja sniffed. "She gave me a spell. Said it was a _portal_ and that I could use it whenever I was ready. That it'd take me to my mother. Two years later, I'm here."

Regina gasped. The woman that Nadja mentioned wasn't a random stranger. Well, to Nadja, she had been. "Mother."

* * *

 **tbc**

 **I'd love to know what you guys think.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Here's a slightly longer chapter. Enjoy.**

Chapter Four: The Girl Who Would Be Queen

Regina wanted answers but her mother was dead and Nadja ran out of the apartment ten minutes ago. Snow started to go after her but Emma said it'd be best if they gave her some time to cool off. Literally. Now, they sat around the dining table pining over what to do next. What could Cora have possibly wanted with Nadja?

"Cora?" David said. He'd come back just in time for Nadja to run into him on her way out. Emma was filling him in on what happened.

Regina got up from the table and left the apartment. It wasn't long until she heard footsteps behind her. Snow caught up with her just in time for her to step out into the warm afternoon air.

"Regina, wait." Snow said. "Where are you going?"

"My mother told Nadja that the portal would bring her to her mother."

"Yeah."

"If her mother's in Storybrooke, there's one person who'll know for sure."

"Gold."

Regina nodded. She started to walk but Snow grabbed her arm. Sighing, Regina turned to her stepdaughter.

"What?"

"Why do you care so much?" Snow asked. "Not that I don't but— "

"You saw what I saw up there. She's scared. And maybe her mother can help abate some of that fear."

Snow nodded and followed Regina to Gold's.

* * *

"If you're looking for Nadja, she's not here." Gold said as Regina and Snow walked into the shop. Emma had gone with David to try and track Nadja down and bring her there.

"What do you know about Nadja?" Regina asked.

"She did fall from the sky. Hard to miss that."

"We're in here looking for information about her mother, actually."

"That I can help you with."

Gold instructed them to follow him into the back room. Scattered across a cluttered table were dreamcatchers. Memory stealers as they'd recently grown to know them. He picked up one in particular and held it out.

"Whose memories are these?" Snow asked.

"Yours."

"Mine?"

"And Regina's. Your entire kingdom's." Gold said. "But, I think the two of you will be particularly interested in this one."

"Why do you have our memories?" Regina asked.

"A long time ago, a King made a deal to save his kingdom."

Gold relinquished the dream catcher.

* * *

 _When the time came for the king to speak for his actions, he'd simply use the excuse that his kingdom was on the verge of war. And it was. That's why he found himself in a deserted room of his castle, calling, "Rumpelstiltskin!"_

" _Yes, dearie?"_

 _The king cursed loudly when the shorter man called out from behind him. He turned and regarded The Dark One. A man with so much power. A man who could save his kingdom. And he would. So long as a deal was made._

" _I need your help."_

" _This wouldn't have anything to do with the army forming at the border, would it?" Rumpelstiltskin asked._

" _My men won't stand a chance."_

" _I know they won't." Rumpelstiltskin laughed. "Their king is their best soldier. Undefeated in all battles."_

" _I know."_

" _And this…" A sword appeared in the dark one's upturned hand. "Will kill him. Kill the king…"_

" _Win the war."_

 _Rumpelstiltskin laughed when the king went to touch the sword. The sword poofed away in a cloud of smoke. In its place was a scroll. A contract. "It'll only cost you…your second born."_

 _The king was silent._

" _Do we have a deal?"_

" _Yes."_

 _The king signed his name. And the next morning, his best soldier rode into the kingdom carrying the head of the opposing king. One year later Queen Eva fell ill._

 _Years passed._

 _King Leopold had been informed that the new queen had woken to a terrible pain and blood in the sheets. Her screams had woken the entire castle just about. Snow sat waiting outside of her stepmother's bedchambers when Leopold made it. He didn't go inside. From the sounds of it, this wasn't an easy labor. And he'd felt guilty._

 _After the first time he'd taken his new wife to bed, she didn't come out of her bedchambers for days. There were whispers that she'd spent her nights crying. He felt terrible. Hadn't touched her since due to the pregnancy._

 _The screaming stopped. And the door opened._

 _Leopold and Snow entered the queen's room. They found Regina sitting up in bed with the kingdom's newest addition. She hadn't smiled like that in a long time._

" _Congratulations," the midwife said. "It's a girl."_

 _That night as his wife slept, King Leopold lifted the baby from her crib. She reminded him of Snow except she had much more hair. And the best news, was that Rumpelstiltskin hadn't come for her yet. Maybe the contract had been voided. Leopold had helped the Dark One many times since their first encounter. Rumpelstiltskin owed him a favor._

 _Leopold carried the baby out of the room. The seer waited for him in the corridor. With Snow, he hadn't used one. But he also hadn't bargained Snow's life. The baby girl made a noise in her sleep as she was placed into the arms of the seer. "Your daughter is special," the seer said._

" _Special how?"_

" _She has no one path." the seer said. "There are two."_

" _Which shall she choose?"_

"You _will choose the path."_

" _Show me."_

* * *

"I have a sister," Snow said.

Regina wrapped her arms around her middle. The pain she'd felt had been real. She'd had a child. And she couldn't remember it. Nadja had recalled the room because she'd been there before. She had been born there. A new form of hatred for her late husband welled up inside Regina.

"What did he see?" Regina asked. There was desperation in her voice.

* * *

 _Snow sighed rather loudly. She'd been bored the entire trip. A trip that she didn't want to go on in the first place. But there were "potential suitors" in the next kingdom, as her father put it. The carriage came to a stop and her father got out. Snow chanced a glance at her stepmother. Regina hadn't said much during the journey. Then again, she rarely spoke unless she was spoken to. This was also the first time she'd been away from Daniella._

 _Her sister had stayed behind for unknown reasons. Something about the weather. But Snow suspected that it had something to do with her throwing a temper tantrum. They'd left early while Daniella was still sleeping. Snow didn't get to say goodbye._

" _It's an ambush!" the last thing that Snow White thought about before she died was her sister._

 _Back in the castle, Daniella waited anxiously for her parents and sister to arrive. Their carriage was due back at any moment. In her room, with her nose pressed against the window, she waited._

" _Daniella," the six-year-old turned at the sound of her grandpa. Her eyes were big and hopeful. Henry gave her a sad smile and kneeled before her._

" _Yes, grandpa?"_

" _I'm afraid I have some bad news."_

 _Her mother, father, and sister were buried a week later._

 _On her sixteenth birthday, Daniella was to be crowned queen._

 _That day, she sat nervously at her vanity. Brushing her hair with her mother's brush. She found her maid staring at her when she looked into the mirror. Her grandfather was beside the woman. Daniella turned to face them. Her smile did not reach her eyes._

" _It's time, sweetheart." Henry said._

" _I'm not ready." Daniella said. "What if I'm not what the people want?"_

" _You will be a great queen."_

 _Hannah motioned for the dressmaker to come in. He carried in the dress and laid it on the bed with delicate hands._

" _It's so pretty," Daniella said._

" _It belonged to your mother." Hannah told her._

 _The people of the kingdom cheered loudly for their blue and brown eyed queen._

* * *

The second vision that the seer gave King Leopold was much worse. Daniella clawed at the face of the man who tried to assault her. It was almost as if they were sucked back into Nadja's memory from earlier. Leopold vomited at the feet of the seer. Regina was about to do the same.

Daniella and Nadja were the same person. Her daughter.

"He didn't give her her best chance." Snow said. A tear fell down her cheek.

"Your father made a choice, dearie." Gold said. "He didn't want the baby subjected to the same fate as her mother. But he also didn't want to die. So, he asked me for the sleeping curse. I also erased her from the memories of the entire kingdom."

"She was a baby," Regina snapped.

"Only true love's kiss can break a sleeping curse." Snow said.

"I didn't cast the curse. I simply altered it, made it more of a preservation spell. She slept for years in the Land of Untold Stories, until, as fate would have it she was 'accidentally' sent to this world, where the spell broke. You'd already served your reign as the Evil Queen and relocated everyone to Storybrooke."

"Accidentally, my ass," Regina said.

Gold poked around the dreamcatchers. He grabbed two and handed them to Snow and Regina. Their memories.

* * *

 _Regina woke to a terrible pain and blood in the sheets. The pain brought bile to her throat. The baby was coming. She couldn't form any words so she screamed for help._

 _The midwife came._

" _It's too early," Regina said._

" _I think this little one has other plans."_

 _Regina collapsed on the pillow after the last push. The baby's cry gave Regina just enough strength to reach for it. The midwife placed the newborn on her chest. Her baby's cries stopped almost instantly. Regina smiled._

" _Congratulations," the midwife said. "It's a girl."_

 _Regina was so lost in her little girl that she didn't hear her husband or step daughter enter the room._

* * *

Regina wiped the tears from her face. She remembered the weight of the small baby in her arms. The feel of her soft skin and hair. Her smell. Her baby. She needed to find Nadja.

"Your mother was just the messenger," Gold said. "She couldn't refuse since I had her heart."

"Why?"

"Your daughter would've been a great queen. But she also would've never come into her powers. And I need her powers."

"Leave her alone." Regina said.

"And you would've resented her."

Regina sent a fireball straight for Gold's face. Even though she knew it'd be no use. Snow moved to stand between them.

"Gold," Snow said. "Why did you give us our memories back?"

"Because I wanted you to remember why I have this."

The contract appeared in Gold's hand. Signed by King Leopold.

 **tbc**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: A big thank you to everyone that has favorited and followed this story.**

Chapter Five: Hope

Not too far from where she fell, Nadja was sitting on a tree stump. She'd been there for quite some time. The had started to set and she needed a break. Running into the woods with no clue where you were going was tiresome. A twig snapped, signaling another presence. Nadja looked over to see a young boy her age walking over.

"You must be Henry?" she said.

"Mind if I sit?"

Nadja shrugged.

Henry sat. Now that she'd seen his birth mother and grandmother, Nadja could see the resemblance. Henry had Emma's nose. That observance made Nadja think about her own parents. She'd been alone with Regina enough to notice the small things: her lips, her nose, her dark eyes. But she hadn't look at herself enough in the mirror to notice if she'd inherited anything from her mother.

"Everyone's looking for you." Henry said.

"I doubt that."

"No, seriously. My mom and grandpa have been out all afternoon. And my other mom and grandma just left Gold's. They said it's important they find you."

"Why do they care?"

"They told me everything. That makes you my sister."

"And your great-aunt."

They sat in silence a while longer. And if Nadja wanted to beat the search party, she should get going soon.

"She looked right at me and she didn't know who I was." Nadja said. "But what did I expect? They gave me up."

"What are you talking about?"

"Gold showed me. They sent me away to the Land of Untold Stories."

"Nadja, that's not true."

"Don't defend her because she's your mother."

"Nadja, she's _our_ mother. And Gold is the last person in this town you should trust."

Nadja wiped away dirt from her jeans as she stood. She didn't need to hear anymore. She'd seen everything that she came there to see. Now, it was time for her to leave. Nadja took a few steps and stopped. She turned back to Henry.

"I'm a dancer, Henry." she said. "I don't belong here."

Henry went to go after his sister. They both got the shock of their life when the Evil Queen poofed in front of them with a cloud of purple smoke. Nadja threw back her hand, ready to send a fireball if need be. Even though the three of them knew that her magic wasn't that sophisticated yet.

"Hi, sweetie," the queen said. "Mommy's back."

* * *

"She knew this whole time." Regina said. She and Snow had joined Emma and David in their search for Nadja. They needed to find her before Gold did. She'd ventured off on her own for a while until she bumped into Snow. Literally. They were walking in circles. "Why didn't she say anything?"

"Maybe she was scared." Snow said. Regina nodded and started to walk again. And was stopped by Snow pulling her into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry, Regina. About my dad. About everything."

Regina hesitated a moment before hugging Snow back. It was probably only the second time they'd embraced since they'd known each other. They stayed that way for a while. Only separating when a branch snapped and Emma walked through the opening. She jumped back with her hands in the air. She'd been greeted by Snow aiming an arrow at her and Regina aiming a fireball.

"It's me. It's me." Emma breathed.

"Any luck?" Regina asked.

"Nothing."

To contradict Emma's words, Henry and Nadja broke through the opening of trees a few feet away. Out of breath. Henry trailed behind by a few steps. It was too quick for Regina to do anything as Nadja's body collided with her own. Emma's magic stopped them from toppling over. Nadja took a step back, bending over to catch her breath. Henry sat on the ground.

"Well, you two look like— "

"Emma!" Snow said.

"Henry, what's going on?" Regina asked.

"We can explain at home." Henry said.

Taking the hint, Regina waved her hand. They disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

* * *

After Regina poofed them to her house, Henry had told her, Emma, and Snow about he and Nadja's encounter with the Evil Queen. They'd all denied it at first. Because Regina had killed the Evil Queen and they'd all been witness to it. If the Evil Queen was there, they'd deal with her in due time. First, they had to deal with Gold.

Regina watched Nadja as she took in her surroundings. If she was trying to hide the fact that she was confused, her face betrayed her. Nadja frowned and she looked so much like her mother when she did so. She had no idea.

They were in the guest bedroom. Everyone decided that the safest place in Storybrooke for Nadja was with Regina. Not only because Regina was her mother, outside of Gold, her magic was the strongest.

"My father sold me." Nadja repeated after a long time. "And Gold wants…"

"Your magic." Regina said. "But he won't come near you. Not as long as I'm around."

"Gold visited me my first night in the hospital." Nadja said. "With a dreamcatcher. I saw my father give me away to the Land of Untold Stories. And I assumed you knew. That you didn't want me. That's why the dreams you saw were so terrible. I was angry at you."

"You have every right to be angry." Regina said. "But I want you to know this: I will fight for you."

While Nadja showered, Regina took the time to put fresh sheets on the bed. They'd been changed last weekend and hadn't been used since. But those sheets were thick. And among the small few things she'd learned about Nadja was that she's a sweater. Nadja walked into the room wearing a pair of Regina's sweatpants and a t-shirt. The baggy sweats made her appear shorter than she was.

"Thank you." Nadja said.

Regina smiled at her. She wanted to hug her but she'd give her some time. Nadja climbed under the sheets and Regina sat on the edge of the bed.

"Is there somewhere around here where I can dance?"

"We can find a place."

"I can't promise my dreams won't be bad tonight."

"I can stay here with you, if you want." Regina said. "Until you fall asleep."

Nadja nodded.

They talked for another hour or so before Nadja's eyelids started drooping. Their conversation of choice was names and their meanings. When Regina asked Nadja what her name meant, she said: "It means hope."

Regina stayed with Nadja long after her breathing evened out. Long after she started snoring. Long after the first light of the next morning.

 **tbc**

* * *

 _The underlined dialogue comes from Season 6, Episode 2 at 16:51._


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm posting this way later than I intended. Here goes nothing.**

Chapter Six: Best Chance

He had no plans to harm the girl. All he wanted was her magic and Gold was sure if he'd simply ask Nadja would be more than willing to give it up. Nadja may have been born in the Enchanted Forest but she belonged in this land.

This land had no use for magic.

The protection spell that Regina put on her house was strong. But that didn't mean it couldn't be broken. Nadja wouldn't stay locked up inside forever, Gold knew. And even when she did come out, what use was she then? Her magic wasn't strong enough yet. It would be.

And Mr. Gold would be waiting.

* * *

Nadja doubled over in laughter.

As she sat on the floor with her legs stretched out in front of her, her small feet were pointed and arched. Morning stretches. Nadja felt the tension in her muscles, grimacing. The last time she stretched had been a few weeks ago.

She and Snow were sitting in the living room. Regina had asked her to sit with Nadja while she and Emma tended to some 'business'. Henry had school. Nadja asked questions about the Enchanted Forest and Storybrooke, which Snow answered. Her latest answer had Nadja laughing uncontrollably, on the verge of tears.

"Yeah, right," Nadja breathed.

"Nadja you're are an heir to the throne."

"I'm most definitely not a princess."

"But you are." Snow said. "And if you'd been given your best chance, you would've been queen."

Nadja shook her head at the word. _Queen._ She'd come here in search of her mother and found an entire extended family. A half-sister. That she still couldn't get couldn't believe was _Snow White_. A brother-in-law. _Prince Charming_. A niece and nephew. _Emma and Neal_. And a great-nephew/brother. _Henry._ There was also an aunt. _Zelena._ All who wouldn't exist if she'd grown up in the Enchanted Forest.

"But what if I did?"

Snow made a face.

"Regina told me that the king never saw the end of the vision." Nadja said. "What if me not growing up in the Enchanted Forest _is_ my best chance?"

Nadja knew the feeling of someone watching her quite well. But when she caught sight of the Evil Queen standing a few feet behind Snow on the sofa, she scrambled backwards about a foot across the floor. Her mouth was open to say something but no sound came out. She wasn't scared though. Just startled. Snow turned around. When she saw the queen, she stood.

" _You_." Snow and the Queen said together.

With the wave of a hand, the Evil Queen tossed Snow across the room. The other version of Regina stalked over to where Snow was unconscious. Before she could do anything, Nadja spoke: "No!"

The Evil Queen turned, the train of her ridiculous dress billowed behind her. Nadja took a step back at the glare the woman gave her. "Wait." The Evil Queen stood and moved across the room to stand before Nadja. She placed her thumb and forefinger under the girl's chin and tilted it to the side. It happened so fast that if Nadja blinked she would've missed it.

"Pretty." the Queen said. "Just like your mother."

"You remembered?"

"Same time as my lesser half. I went into the woods yesterday to find you. You and Henry ran away before I could say anything."

"Leave her alone."

The Evil Queen turned to Snow White and frowned. She let go of Nadja face only to choke Snow without touching her. Snow grabbed at her throat. Nadja screamed. "No, stop!"

"She's my sister." When Nadja grabbed the queen's arm, she knew it was a mistake. But instead of throwing her across the room like she thought, the queen released her hold on Snow. Snow dropped to the ground, gasping for air. Nadja ran to her.

"Thank you," Nadja said.

The Queen disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke just as Regina and Emma ran into the room. Both ready for a fight.

"You guys okay?" Emma asked.

* * *

 _The baby didn't know much. But she did know that she was somewhere else now. And it was cold._

 _She looked up at the face of a grey-haired woman. Beyond the woman was a high ceiling. Something was wrapped around the baby, constricting her arm movements. Her feet kicked freely as she cried._

 _Her head was pressed against something soft. Warm. The baby girl looked up at another woman now. One with brown eyes and dark hair who cried and smiled at the same time. The baby recognized the smell of its mother._

 _She was safe._

 _The baby stopped crying._

* * *

Regina found the Evil Queen in her Mausoleum. She was pacing and the look on her face could scare away death itself. Regina stopped a few feet away. Close enough to talk but far enough to defend herself if she needed to. Her other half of her was very unpredictable.

"She gave you her first memory as a thank you for letting Snow live."

"Yes, she certainly complicates things now." the Evil Queen said. "But I will have Snow White's heart. And if I could kill her father again, I would with my own hands. He took my daughter from me."

"He took her from both of us." Regina snapped. "She didn't get her best chance."

"Yes, I forget. Our daughter the Queen." The Evil Queen rolled her eyes.

The Evil Queen tapped the large mirror. A moving image of Nadja in the Enchanted Forest as Daniella appeared. She was walking through the kingdom with her grandfather Henry. The people were delighted to see her. The young queen had a face for a smile.

The image brought tears to Regina's eyes.

"Her magic must be powerful if Rumple wants it." The Evil Queen said. "But he's going to have to go through the both of us, first."

 **tbc**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: The next chapter will be much longer, I promise.**

Chapter Seven: The Beginning

During the night, Regina used her magic to make the shed. Or whatever the technical name for it was. It was smaller than a garage but slightly bigger than a shed. And it was out back next to the apple tree. Inside the shed had wooden floors and a mirrored wall with a barre. The room was a clichéd as they came but Nadja loved it. She thanked Regina with a hug the next morning when she saw it.

After lunch, Nadja went out to the shed to practice. Regina had also gotten her leotards to wear. She'd forgotten the thrill that dance brought her. It had been far too long since she danced. The choreography was lyrical and her instructor had taught her months ago. Nadja was going to perform it the night she fell through the portal.

The routine was cut short when the music from the radio stopped. Nadja turned to see Mr. Gold standing in front of the door.

"Don't stop on my account."

"What do you want?"

"Now, dearie." Gold pointed at her hand. "I just came to talk."

Nadja dropped the knife. She wasn't used to her magic yet. And the last time she checked she couldn't conjure up things from thin air. She just knew that she had to defend herself from Gold. Not that a regular kitchen knife could do harm to the Dark One.

"I could teach you how to control that if you'd like." Gold said.

"Regina could teach me." Nadja said. And rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe she was about to say this. "Or the Evil Queen."

"I taught your mother everything she knows."

"What are you doing here?"

"What if I could show you the rest of your father's second vision? You could see how it plays out for you. This go 'round"

"Get out."

The Dark One smirked. And without further argument, he left.

* * *

Later that evening, at Granny's, Nadja and Henry sat across from each other at a booth in the back. Regina, Snow, David, Emma, Hook, and others that Nadja didn't know by name were talking by the bar. Granny placed a plate of French fries on the table between them. The old woman had been walking around with her weapon since she'd learned about Nadja's encounter with Gold.

"You're either trying to hear what they're saying." Henry said to Nadja. "Or you're thinking really hard about something. Which is it?"

"The latter."

"I'm all ears."

Nadja told him of her theory. That Gold was trying to see what he was dealing with before he planned his next move. He'd told her that he could teach her about magic. Which meant that he only wanted her magic when it was stronger than it was now.

"Does that make sense?" Nadja asked.

Henry nodded.

When Nadja stood, everyone's eyes turned to her. She rolled her eyes and mouthed _bathroom_ before walking away. They all treated her like a newborn. Like they'd miss something if they turned away from her for one second.

When Nadja returned from the restroom Henry wasn't alone at the table. Regina, Snow, and David were crowded around him. They stared down at the story book on the table. Which, at first, was odd. Then, Nadja walked closer.

"What the…" Nadja's voice trailed off before she could swear. "Is that me?"

In the book, on the page was a photo of Nadja falling from the portal in the sky.

So far, the book only had that one photo of her. And a couple of paragraphs of text that Nadja didn't bother to read. Apparently, her story was "beginning" as Henry put it. But every story had an end. Nadja just hoped hers had a good one.

They all did.

* * *

 _Nadja stood on top of a roof. She didn't know how she got there. Or why she was there. But she was. So, she admired the view. Storybrooke was a nice, quiet little town. Quite the opposite of the one she'd come from. A big city that only got louder at night._

 _In front of her, the clock on the clock tower moved to 8 PM. Nadja wondered why she was out so late._

 _She chanced a look down. And found most of the town staring up at her. They all looked horrified. Nadja didn't understand why._

 _Until her heart was ripped from her chest._

 _Nadja gasped._

 _And when she turned she was Mr. Gold holding her heart in her hand. It was black as coal. What had she done? Gold must've gotten control of her magic because nothing happened when she willed it._

 _Gold squeezed her heart._

 _Nadja fell from the roof as the dust of her heart floated away with the breeze._

 _Regina screamed._

Nadja jumped out of bed. It wasn't until she burst into Regina's room that she saw the time. 2 AM. Fortunately, her mother hadn't thrown a fireball at her or sent her flying across the room.

"Nadja?"

At the last second, Nadja changed her mind about telling Regina what she'd just dreamed.

"Show me how to control my magic." she said instead.

 **tbc**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hope you enjoy.**

Chapter Eight: Magic Lessons

Regina finally relented after breakfast later that morning. Only because Nadja had given her an ultimatum. She'd said that if Regina didn't teach her, she would ask Emma. And while that wasn't entirely a bad thing, Regina had been using magic for much longer. Not to mention, Regina was pretty sure her other half wouldn't take to kindly to Snow White's daughter teaching her own how to do magic. There was also the matter of Gold. Teaching Nadja would only put a bigger target on her back. Regina, the Evil Queen, and Emma could protect her the best they could with their magic. But they didn't stand a chance against Gold.

She led the way down the steps of her "secret layer" as her daughter called it. Regina smiled to herself. She still couldn't get over the fact that she had a daughter. Regina never got the chance to learn magic from her own mother. She wanted to do right by her.

Nadja was captivated by it all. After all, it wasn't every day that someone got to see where the Evil Queen stowed the hearts she'd stolen over the years. Among other things. Regina watched Nadja as she skimmed through one of her spell books. Her eyebrows drawn together in confusion at the language.

"Since you've been here, you've used your magic twice." Regina said. "Once in Snow's apartment. And once when Gold showed up yesterday."

"And the dream thing."

"Consider that your superpower."

Nadja nodded and closed the book.

"Much like Emma, those instances were tied to your emotions."

"Wait." Nadja said. "You're not gonna drop me off a bridge like you did Emma. Are you?"

Regina smiled. Her magic transported them to the same bridge. She and Emma had put it back together after their use of it. This time Regina stood in the middle of the bridge and Nadja stood on the solid ground.

"Your instinct will save me." Regina said.

"Are you crazy?!"

The boards were falling through at each end getting closer to where Regina stood. Like Emma, Regina grabbed onto the ropes on either side of her as the boards under her feet collapsed. Nadja screamed.

"Nadja, it's inside of you. Trust yourself."

When the rope snapped Regina fell for five seconds. Then she was standing on the solid surface of the bridge again. Because, unlike Emma, Nadja reconstructed the bridge.

"I did it."

"You did."

Regina was walking back toward Nadja when the Evil Queen showed up. She appeared like she always did, behind a cloud of purple smoke. The dress that she wore was extravagant and black. Her long hair pulled into a high ponytail draped over her right shoulder.

"I would've let her fall."

Regina rolled her eyes as she stepped off the bridge.

"Sorry, I'm late." the Evil Queen said.

"You have got to stop doing that." Nadja said.

"What are you doing here?" Regina asked.

"Figured I could lend a hand."

Regina laughed. " _You_? Lend a hand?"

"Unless you'd rather I focused my attention on killing Snow White?"

Regina took them back to her crypt.

* * *

Nadja stood in silence. Watching her mothers argue. She was still confused over the whole mom thing. Not that she called either of them mom. To their face. But there were two of them and she did want to get to know them.

"Do I always have to be the voice of reason with you people?" the Queen said. "Gold wants her magic. So why the hell are we teaching her how to use it? And also, we don't know what kind of magic we're dealing with. But you and I both know, it's not light."

"What if something happens to us? Would you rather she went up against Gold defenseless?"

"Guys!" Nadja said. "I'm not pulling out hearts or snapping necks. No offense. I just want to know the basics."

They told her. The difference between light and dark magic. As cliché as it sounded: light magic was good and dark magic was bad. One could darken hearts. (That explained her dream.) And the other...well, it could defeat its opposite.

Her mothers also wanted to know of any weaknesses. Gold, it seemed, liked to exploit people's weaknesses. On the bright side, Nadja didn't have any. None that she'd ever admit anyway. It'd take time and spells, as the Evil Queen mentioned, before Nadja got a good grasp on her magic. And there was no denying that the spells would take some time. The language of the books she'd skimmed so far was nothing she'd ever seen before.

Nadja was a fast learner. Despite her mothers arguing, the lesson was a useful one. She'd learned that she could save someone from falling to their death. The fireball actually appeared when she conjured it. And Henry's book appeared in her lap in a cloud of black smoke when she summoned it. So, yeah, her magic was dark.

"So, what exactly did Snow White do to make you become the Evil Queen?" Nadja asked.

She held the book close to her chest as she asked. To no mother in particular. Whoever wanted to answer could. The Evil Queen's mouth twitched as she frowned.

"The little brat couldn't keep her mouth shut." the Queen said.

"She didn't keep a secret." Regina explained.

There had to be more to the story. But Nadja could tell by the look on her their faces that it was a sore subject. So, she let it go.

"Let's not forget," the Queen said. "All of this would have been avoided had your father not took you from me. And erased all of our memories."

Moving on. Nadja grabbed Henry's book and transported the three of them out of the small space. It was something neither of them knew she could do until that very moment.

* * *

Snow sat at a table in Granny's. Neal slept in his stroller beside her. School had let out an hour ago and she'd promised Henry a snack of his choice, on her, since he aced his math exam. As if on cue, Henry stepped through the front door a second later. He smiled at his grandmother as he walked toward her. But Snow could tell something was bothering him.

"Henry? What's wrong?" Snow asked.

"I can't find my book." he said. "It was in my school bag this morning. Now it isn't."

"I'm sure it'll turn up."

Henry sighed and glanced inside of Neal's stroller before taking a seat. He looked over the menu before settling on a burger and fries. It wasn't a snack but he was a growing boy. So, Snow smiled and he ordered.

"Where's your mom at today? Regina, I mean." Snow said. "I haven't seen her."

"She's teaching Nadja magic."

"That's interesting. How do you think it's going?"

"Mom's a pretty could teacher." Henry shrugged. "Except math. She hates the 'new math' as she calls it."

Snow laughed.

Henry went to grab his phone from his backpack. He sat up straighter suddenly, storybook in hand. Henry looked from the book to Snow and back, mumbling something along the lines of _this wasn't here a second ago._

"I think you just overlooked it."

Henry flipped through the book. There's was a newly scripted page. A photo of Nadja and their two mothers, inside of Regina's crypt, was printed at the top followed by a paragraph beneath.

 _The princess could always control her magic. She just didn't always know it. Her magic was not light as her path would lead her to do regrettable things. But it was not dark. Yet. In order to defeat the Dark One, the princess would have to darken her heart._

Henry and Snow stared at each other with wide eyes.

* * *

 _Nadja applied her eyeshadow at the small vanity where she sat. Music blasted through a speaker on the small desk next to the queen size bed. The bed was unmade and an array of stuffed animals littered the floor around it. Fairy lights hung around the bedposts and the canopy above. The walls were hot pink and the floors dark wood. Beneath the chair that Nadja sat in was a shaggy white rug. There were photos of Nadja at various ages all around the room._

 _When she was done she stood up. Dressed in the same white dance costume that she came to Storybrooke in. Nadja walked over to her mirrored wardrobe and took out a pair of tan dance shoes. She slipped them in._

 _Nadja walked into the connecting bathroom. There she twisted her long hair into a bun and secured it with three hair ties and a handful of bobby pins. She just about emptied the can of hairspray over her head._

 _She walked back into her room to grab her lipstick. Her hands were shaking. Nadja always got nervous before a performance. The tube of lipstick fell into her school bag that sat below the vanity. Nadja dumped the contents of the bag onto the hardwood floor. She found the lipstick next to a small black velvet bag. The one she'd gotten from the old lady at the bus stop almost two years earlier. She carried it with her everywhere. It'll take you to your mother. The old woman had said._

 _A hard knock at the door startled Nadja._

" _Hey, kid. Everyone's waiting on you. Hurry up in there." Someone said._

 _Nadja opened the small bag and poured the bean into her hand. She had been thinking a lot about her birth mother recently. This was a long shot. But the woman had known so much about her. She couldn't have been lying._

 _Nadja stood and tossed the bean onto the floor. To her amazement, a small portal opened up on her bedroom floor. With one last look at her closed door, Nadja jumped. She was going to find her mother._

* * *

Regina was happy that Nadja shared another memory. They were standing in the guest bedroom that Nadja had been staying in. Only the room slowly turned into the one from Nadja's memory. Hot pink walls and everything. Even the same music played.

Nadja pressed mute on the speaker as she rummaged through the drawers on the desk. She disappeared behind the bed as she moved to a drawer closer to the floor. Regina admired the photos of Nadja as her eyes stung with tears. She was surprised to see that the Evil Queen was on the verge of tears as well. The Evil Queen never cried. In public, anyway.

"Whose idea was it to paint this room this wretched color?" the Queen asked as she wiped at her face.

Nadja laughed. She popped up from where she crouched on the other side of the bed. In her arms was a photo album. Nadja hugged it to her chest.

"Not mine."

"You look so happy." Regina said as she looked at the photos.

"I was. A happy kid." Nadja said. "Minus the fire. I figured you two would want to know that."

Nadja walked over to where her mothers stood. She held out the photo album. Regina took it.

"Pictures from when I was younger. The most recent ones are all around...but, I guess you've found them."

The Evil Queen untacked a photo from the wall and held it up. It was a photo of Nadja and a boy her age. They were smiling, dressed formally.

"Is he a suitor?" the Queen asked.

"Just a friend."

Regina opened the photo album.

 **tbc**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I got into a huge bout of writer's block this weekend. But I'm over it now. This story was originally supposed to be ten chapters long but let's be real. I'm nowhere near the end. I hope to go back to posting everyday until this is complete. Bear with me. I wanted to write something focused on the Evil Queen's POV. Hope you enjoy.**

Chapter Nine: Baby Steps

They were still standing in the newly transformed guest room. The front door slammed just as Regina and the Evil Queen made it to one of Nadja most embarrassing photos. It was her fifth birthday, which she observed on the tenth of December, and the photo was of her bawling her eyes out in the lap of Santa Claus. Henry, out of breath, called out, "Mom!" as he took the stairs two at a time. His confusion of the room's drastic change in appearance did not go unnoticed. He shoved the book in Nadja's direction.

"Henry, you're slouching." The Queen said as he slumped over to catch his breath. Henry rolled his eyes and stood taller.

As the story book made it's rounds between mothers and daughter, Henry was left with Nadja's photo album. He couldn't help the outburst of laughter at a photo of her during one of her first dance performances. She was dressed like a pumpkin. The laughter quickly died out on his lips as he saw the sullen look on his mom and the Evil Queen's faces.

"On the bright side," Nadja said. "It does say that I _can_ defeat him."

"Only if you darken your heart first." The Queen said.

"Which means," Regina said. "Pulling out hearts and snapping necks."

The Evil Queen disappeared behind her purple magic cloud.

* * *

The Queen wanted a place to be alone to sulk.

Her magic transported her back to the crypt but it was too quiet in there for her to think. So, the Queen walked among the tombstone outside until she found the one she sought. She stopped at Robin Hood's grave. The thief who had swept her other half off her feet. He, among other people, had turned Mayor Regina Mills soft. Opened her dark heart to love.

After Daniel, she had sworn off love. No one could replace him. And he would still be alive if it weren't for that terrible little girl called Snow White. Her reign as the Evil Queen only helped to prove that no one could love her. She'd spent too many years trying to crush her stepdaughter's heart, terrorizing villages and anyone who dared to defend the girl along the way, to love and be loved in return.

Regina had.

And while they were separate beings now. The Evil Queen and Mayor Mills were still of the same heart and mind. If one died, so did the other. If one loved, so did the other. Which meant that she had love for Robin. And without any doubt she loved her son and daughter. Mayor Mills had also done the impossible over the past few years, she'd found a _friend_ in Snow White.

The Queen could sulk later.

To say that Snow White was surprised when the Evil Queen appeared a few feet away from her was an understatement. She stood by her son's crib which meant that he'd either just gone down or was just waking up. Snow's eyes went from her son to the woman she'd used to call mother. Her body language went from rigid with fear to tall and defensive. She would protect her son no matter what.

Good thing the Queen wasn't here for the boy.

This was the moment the Evil Queen had dreamed about taking out Snow White's heart and crushing it to dust for years. There was only one problem when she pulled it out of Snow's chest. It was only half of the whole. How had she forgotten? Her softer half had split Snow's heart in order to save Prince Charming. She supposed she'd deal with him later.

"Regina," Snow said. "I am so sorry."

The Queen rolled her eyes.

"About Daniel. About my father."

Snow screamed out as the Queen's grip on her heart tightened. The Evil Queen had been looking at Snow but she was staring beyond her. The shout had startled her, brought her back. She hadn't meant to do that.

"I'm sorry about every bad thing that has ever happened to you. If I could go back and change it all, I would. If that meant that you could be happy." Snow cried. "But please don't kill me in front of my son."

It was then that the Queen remembered the other presence in the room. The baby boy that was awake in his crib, staring at his mother with big blue eyes. Then his eyes moved to her own and he smiled. Probably at her dramatic state of dress.

* * *

 _Regina smiled down at her newborn daughter. Daniella, she called her. She was asleep and swaddled in the finest linen blanket one could put their hands on._

 _Against her midwife's orders, Regina had stumbled around the castle in a panic when she'd woken to an empty crib. She found Leopold in the gardens with the newborn, the blanket was one she hadn't seen before. "Only the finest for my girl," Leopold had said._

 _Regina had taken her daughter and went back to her bedchambers. She and Daniella hadn't left since._

 _Daniella smiled in her sleep and made the most beautiful sound ever. In truth, it was nothing more than a hiccup. But it still brought a smile to Regina's face. Her lips touched her daughter's forehead in a sweet kiss._

 _Daniella opened her eyes. They were big and … by the looks of it, one of them had changed to brown overnight. It didn't deter Regina any. Daniella was still the most beautiful girl she'd ever laid eyes on._

" _Hello, my sweet girl." Regina said._

* * *

A tear escaped the Evil Queen's eyes. She never had the joy of caring for her daughter throughout the important milestones of her life. And because of her, Snow hadn't either. Killing her would only deny her that chance again. This baby needed his mother. Emma had needed her mother. Snow staggered back and immediately placed her hands on her chest. Snow blinked rapidly, trying to find some explanation as to why she wasn't dead.

"If you went back and changed things, I wouldn't have Henry or Nadja."

* * *

 _Regina smiled as her handmaiden handed her Daniella. She was freshly bathed and smelled of daisies. It was time for her feeding but Daniella was stubborn and wouldn't suck. Moving the baby to the cradle of her arms, Regina closed her dressing gown. Just in time for her visitor to knock twice and enter. Snow White entered the room dressed for the cold weather outside. It was Thursday which meant she had riding lessons._

 _"Good afternoon, Snow." Regina said. "Off to your lessons?"_

 _Snow nodded. "Is she awake?"_

 _"In and out."_

 _"Can I hold her?"_

 _"Um." Regina said. "Sure. I don't see why not."_

 _Snow sat on the bed next to her stepmother. Regina carefully moved the baby from her arms to her sister's. Snow grinned at the small human in her arms. Yesterday, Snow hadn't been allowed that much time with her new sister. But Regina could tell that Snow was just as amazed by Daniella as she was._

* * *

Snow walked over to stand next to the Queen as she looked down at Neal. He knew her face but was unfamiliar with what she was wearing. Neal pulled himself up with the crib railings, determined to grab the metallic fabric of the Queen's pants.

"You didn't kill me." Snow said.

"No, Snow, I did not."

And she wouldn't.

"I know how it feels to be consumed by the dark." the Queen said. "I don't want that for my daughter."

"Neither do I."

"Can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?"

Snow nodded.

Baby steps.

 **tbc**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Late night post. Enjoy.**

Chapter Ten: Gut Feeling

"Dammit!" Nadja swore as she ran her bleeding finger under the faucet. She had been cutting an apple and got distracted by a question from Henry. He was sitting at the table in front of a bowl of cereal. Regina sat across from him looking over some paperwork. It'd been almost a week since Gold made a move. Things had slowly started to go back to normal. Nadja's gut feeling told her that normal wouldn't last long.

"I can heal broken bones but not a stupid cut."

"Let me see."

Nadja watched as her mother healed her finger with her magic. It still hurt but it was no longer bleeding. Regina released Nadja's hand and turned to walk back to the table.

"Thanks, mom."

Regina gasped. At first, Nadja didn't understand why. Then she realized it was the first time that she'd called Regina mom out loud. Nadja smiled at her mom and brother and then went back to cutting her apple.

"You've so got to teach me that spell."

* * *

Regina watched, with a smile on her face, Henry and Nadja play outside. They were accompanied by Neal and David. Everyone had been invited over for lunch. But as Snow put it, Emma and Hook were busy doing other things. Regina heard Snow come up behind her before she spoke.

"She looks so much like you, Regina."

"I still can't believe she's mine."

David and Henry were sword fighting with plastic swords curtesy of Nadja. Nadja would go against the winner which was very clearly going to be David. Henry was good but he hadn't had to fight off the Evil Queen's army for years of his life. Neal beamed as Nadja swung him in the air like an airplane.

After tiring themselves out in the backyard, Henry and Nadja moved inside to play video games. David took Neal upstairs to baby Robin's old nursery to put him down for a nap. Snow and Regina were in the kitchen. Their topic of conversation had moved to Nadja and all of the important moments of her life that they'd missed. Birthdays. Dances. Boyfriends.

"She called me mom for the first time today."

"I remember the first time Emma called me mom." Snow smiled.

They sat in silence for a while.

"I think it's time that we introduced the new princess to the people of Storybrooke." Snow said.

"Well, she's not exactly a secret."

"I mean formally. Like David and I did with Neal at Granny's. She never got to be introduced to the kingdom back in the Enchanted Forest."

"She's a princess." Neither of the women had heard David enter the room. He took the seat next to Snow. "She should be celebrated."

"Yes, she should." Regina said. "But it's up to her."

* * *

Nadja found her mother in the living room. She was curled into the sofa, staring at a muted television in the dark. It was the most domestic that Nadja had seem her since she made it to Storybrooke. Regina's attention quickly turned to her daughter's though when she heard her on the stairs. There was no sneaking up on a formerly Evil Queen.

"I can't sleep." Nadja admitted.

She took a seat on the opposite end of the sofa, facing her mother.

"Bad dream?"

"No. I just…have this feeling."

"What kind of feeling?"

"That something bad is going to happen." Nadja said the words so nonchalantly. And with a shrug, like they didn't mean anything.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Nadja shook her head. She said nothing more as she watched her mother. Regina regarded her with chocolate brown eyes. The brown in her own eye was darker, almost black. Her mother's full lips were pale and turned down into a slight frown. Nothing aimed at her. Since her arrival, Nadja noticed that her mother wasn't much of a smiler. But she had been smiling a lot more lately. Either way, she was a beautiful woman.

She wanted to ask about her father but knew it was a touchy subject. Regina would tell her about it one day she supposed. When she was ready. So, she asked about her grandparents. She learned a lot about Cora and Henry. And while her grandmother was a truly devious woman, Nadja suspected that she'd have taken a liking to her. Henry, on the other hand, seemed the perfect gentleman.

"I see him in you, sometimes." Regina said. "When you smile without showing your teeth."

Nadja did just that. Regina laughed.

"I had a talk with Snow this evening. And we think that it'd be nice to introduce you to the people of Storybrooke. As their princess. If you want to."

* * *

 _Regina had been thoroughly surprised when Nadja said yes. She was surprised yet again when Nadja agreed to wear a gown. That had been Snow's idea. In her own words, Snow wanted her sister to have "the total package." Although, they'd be at Granny's everyone was to dress in their finest clothes._

" _Look at you." Regina beamed._

 _Nadja blushed._

 _They were standing in Snow's living room and Nadja was dressed in one of her mother's light blue gowns. It had long sleeves and a sweetheart neckline and was embroidered in the most expensive jewels. Since Nadja stood a few inches shorter than her mother a few inches were taken off (with magic of course). Her hair was curly and fell down her back. She looked every bit the daughter of a king and queen._

 _Regina, with the Evil Queen and Snow White by her side, introduced "Princess Nadja" to the eager crowd._

 _The people of Storybrooke welcomed Nadja with cheers and smiles. It was the perfect end for a perfect day. Although it wasn't over yet. Nadja saw the Dark One before any of the others. He walked through the front door uninvited, unwanted. And with the wave of his hand, the gut feeling she'd had about something bad happening, happened._

* * *

Nadja didn't wake up in a panic, only opened her eyes. She knew what it felt like to be watched and someone had been watching her as she slept. That someone was a grey-haired woman standing by the window. Her eyes were so grey that they shined in the night. Nadja knew this woman.

She hadn't been dreaming.

She'd seen the future.

"It's been a long time, child." The woman said.

The Seer.

 **tbc**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: A new chapter before 5PM? What? Thanks for the follows, favorites, and comments. Enjoy.**

Chapter Eleven: Loophole

Gold smiled triumphantly.

Over his long career as the Dark One he had learned many things. But this one lesson remained with him always: _there is always a loophole_. And after a week of searching, Gold had just that.

A loophole.

The contract had been burned to ash when the Evil Queen made a surprise trip to his shop one afternoon. And even when he had it, the two versions of the queen, with the aid of Snow White and Emma Swan made it impossible for him to reach the princess. Although he did get through the protection spell once.

That still wasn't enough to prove that he didn't want to harm the girl. At least, not then.

If he couldn't get the princess's magic, he'd just steal her heart. That way he'd have control over her magic.

And then, he would kill her family.

One by one.

* * *

"Get away from her!"

Before Nadja had time to realize what exactly was going on, The Evil Queen was standing in her bedroom. The fireball in the palm of her hand was big and bright. Its target: the woman by the window. But before the queen did any damage, she recognized the Seer from Leopold's memory.

"Shouldn't you be dead by now?" the Queen asked. The died out in her hand.

"Your majesty."

The Evil Queen dismissed the woman's curtsy with a scoff. Despite the early hour, she was dressed as extravagantly as ever in red and black. The Seer looked unfazed by the Queen's glare. It was almost as if she was waiting for something. Nadja climbed out of bed and walked to stand she between the Queen and the Seer just as the door opened.

"What is going on in here?" Regina asked as she walked into the room. Her hand drawn back. She wasn't going to use a fireball. Probably something much worse. Like her other half, it took a moment before she remembered the Seer.

"Now that we're all here," the Seer said. Her attention turned back to Nadja.

* * *

 _Her home was just outside of the kingdom's limits, only a three-hour journey. When the King's messenger sent word for her, she packed up immediately and set out toward the castle. The Seer waited for the King in the castle's dark corridor. It'd been a little over an hour since her arrival._

 _King Leopold walked toward her with the tiny newborn. The baby made a noise in its sleep as she was placed into the Seer's waiting arms. It wasn't until she held her that the Seer knew it was a girl. As the King wished, she looked into the child's future. The baby girl slept on._

 _A sense of dread washed over the Seer. A combination of bubbling rage and fear. And an overwhelming urge to protect the baby girl in her arms, all at once. "Well, aren't you a special girl?" The Seer smiled sadly._

 _The statement peaked the King's interest._

" _Special how?"_

" _She has no one path." The Seer said. "There are two."_

 _There were many._

" _Which shall she choose?"_

"You _will be the one to choose the path, my king."_

" _Show me."_

 _It was the Seer's overwhelming urge to protect the baby that led her to lie to the king._

* * *

Nadja stumbled backward.

"How did you do that?" Nadja asked.

"Do what?" the Seer asked.

Nadja's mothers exchanged a look but said nothing. The Seer smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. She looked so much older than she had in her memory. Unlike everyone else from the Enchanted Forest, the Seer had aged. It made Nadja wonder where she'd been all of these years. Why she'd come back? Nadja asked her those things.

"Everyone has one path." The Seer said. "Some overlap with others. Some do not. In my visions, I see many possible outcomes because the future is always changing. But I never see the end. At least not until I held you."

Something wasn't right in the words that the Seer was saying. Something felt off. The entire time she spoke, it seemed almost as if the Seer was fighting against her words. Then Nadja saw it. The struggle in her eyes. A cry for help. She'd slipped up with the memory.

Nadja took that as a sign to go back into the Seer's mind. She brought her mothers with her.

 _They stood in the middle of a shack. Nadja didn't remember much about this place but she assumed the shack to be somewhere in the middle of the Enchanted Forest. Her attention moved to the window. Far off in the distance, she could see the castle where she was born. Nadja smiled._

" _You got the hint."_

 _Nadja turned to find the Seer, young as her memory, standing beside her mothers. The sight pulled a laugh from her lips. Regina, underdressed in her pajamas and the Evil Queen overdressed. The Seer looked right at home._

" _Gold has your heart." Nadja said. "How is this possible?"_

" _He's controlling my heart, not my mind." The Seer said. "Your gift is not one-sided, my child. Like you can bring people into your dreams and memories, you can enter theirs. If they allow it."_

 _Nadja nodded, considering this new information._

" _Gold wants me to pull out your heart. A loophole, he thinks by using a familiar face. But this is ours." The Seer smiled. "I have been waiting such a long time to see you again."_

" _You knew?" the Queen asked._

" _I also knew that she'd be reunited with her mother." The Seer said. When the Seer turned back to face Nadja she saw the panicked look on her face. Her mothers saw it as well._

" _What did you really see?" Nadja asked. "Why did you lie to the king?"_

 _The Seer kneeled in front of Nadja before speaking. "Knowing the future is both a blessing and a curse. I won't burden you with that."_

" _What happens at Granny's?"_

" _That, Nadja," the Seer said. "Is up to you."_

* * *

When an hour passed and the Seer didn't walk through the door with the princess's heart, Gold let out a scream. The heroes had found a loophole of their own. He crushed the Seer's heart to dust.

 **tbc**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Enjoy.**

Chapter Twelve: Sacrifice

" _Knowing the future is both a blessing and a curse. I won't burden you with that."_

* * *

Although she'd seen the dress before, the sight of it still gave Nadja goosebumps. To describe it in one word: stunning. Nadja stood beside her bed where the gown was draped across and traced the jewels around the sweetheart neckline. She could tell by looking at it, that a few inches needed to come off the bottom. Her eyes slowly drifted to the spot on the ground where the Seer died. Gold had made it a drawn-out process. This was the first time in two days that Nadja was back in the room.

The door opened, stealing her attention. Snow walked into the room. She was dressed in a white dress with a blue floral pattern. Not Enchanted Forest formal like herself, but Storybrooke formal. Snow smiled at her sister.

"He said yes."

It was a last-minute decision. Nadja felt it only fair that if she were introduced as Princess, so should Henry be introduced as Prince. After all, they were both the children of the Queen. Like the Seer said, the future was constantly changing. Which is why, instead of Snow's apartment as she'd seen, Nadja decided she wanted to get dressed in her mother's home. She didn't feel it mattered as long as they made it to Granny's by the end of the night.

They would.

Snow helped Nadja into her dress. She'd volunteered for the responsibility of seeing to it that the Princess had everything she needed for the evening. That responsibility included doing her hair and makeup. Both of which, Nadja could do on her own but she'd let her big sister have her moment. The phrase _big sister_ brought a smile to her face. Nadja always wanted a sister.

"Oh." Snow gasped as Nadja pulled her into a tight hug. She hugged her back.

"Thank you," Nadja said. "For not going through with the execution of my mother."

"You don't have to thank me for that."

Nadja nodded.

"Can you promise me something?" Nadja asked.

"Anything."

"If anything happens to me, promise me that you'll help them stay good."

" _If_ that is to happen, I promise you that I will." Snow said. "But that won't happen."

Snow poked Nadja's nose with her finger making her laugh. Then she tugged on her arm and lead her to the vanity where she could do her hair and makeup. When she finished, Snow instructed Nadja to close her eyes, which she did.

"Now, open."

When Nadja opened her eyes, she smiled at her reflection in the mirror. Snow had decided on a simple eye look with bold red lips. But that's not what made her smile. The tiara on her head did.

* * *

Regina couldn't say that anything had ever stolen her breath away before. But as she watched her son and daughter walk down the staircase, minutes apart, Nadja dressed in her mother's favorite dress and Henry in one of Prince Charming's many Enchanted Forest formal attires, she found that she couldn't breathe. They were the vision of royalty.

"Look at you," said the Evil Queen beside her as she took one of Nadja's hands. They were the same words she'd said to Henry. Snow let go of Nadja's other hand and placed it into Regina's as she moved to stand next to David and Henry.

Nadja blushed.

Regina could tell by her eyes that something was troubling her. But she didn't want to ruin the moment and decided that she'd ask Nadja about it later. Regina raised her hands to take them to Granny's but Nadja's voice stopped her.

"Actually, I was thinking," Nadja said. "Can we walk?"

Of course, they could.

* * *

" _You will do as I say," the man said to his daughter._

" _But father," the girl protested._

 _The father placed the dagger in her hand and pushed her away into the direction of the woods. The daughter sighed and walked in the direction that her father wanted her to go. She wasn't his daughter by blood. The King had paid he and his wife a great sum of money to take her. An illegitimate child, maybe. She let the dagger drop into the dirt and waited behind a tree like they'd talked about._

 _The girl heard the hooves before she saw the black stallions and the guards riding them as they led the Evil Queen's carriage through the village. Most people in her village were afraid. She could hear them running for shelter but not her. It wasn't that hard to please the Queen. All they had to do was bring her Snow White. Then she'd leave them alone._

 _The carriage stopped._

 _As usual, the Evil Queen was dressed in black leather. The only color came from her red lips which seemed to always be frowning. She looked around at the few villagers who were brave enough not to hide._

" _Bring them all out," the Queen ordered her guards._

 _They did as asked and went to search homes. The Queen stood by and waited, patiently. She stroked the mane of one of the stallions and that was when the girl knew her father would make his move._

 _The Evil Queen turned fast enough to catch the arrow before it hit her. Only it didn't hit her._

" _Daniella!" the girl's father cried. The King had been insistent that she kept her name._

 _Daniella looked down at the arrow in her shoulder and her body slumped. She fell back into the arms of the Evil Queen who guided her down to the forest floor. Daniella watched as the Queen tried and failed to heal the wound with her magic. But the arrow had been enchanted to deflect the Evil Queen's magic. The pressure the woman put on her wound caused Daniella to cry out._

" _Why?" the Queen asked with teary eyes._

" _Everyone deserves a second chance."_

 _The Queen watched as the life faded from the girl's mismatched eyes. Her magic may not have been enough to save her but it was enough to snap her father's neck when he finally made it out of the trees._

* * *

Against her better judgment, as the Seer laid dying on her bedroom floor, Nadja went into her mind. She went in search of anything that told her what happened next in her story. But that was hard to do in the mind of someone who knew much about everyone. So, she begged what was left of the Seer's mind to show her.

True to her word, the Seer hadn't burdened her with the future of the life she led now. But she did show her the outcome of a life that she would've had if she'd grown up in the Enchanted Forest and not become queen. And Nadja, with her whole heart, wished she hadn't seen it.

As they walked down the main street, Nadja looked at Gold's shop. Then at her family walking in front of her. Snow and David held hands as they walked right in front of her. Regina and the Evil Queen walked a few feet ahead of them. They both wore black but only one of them was in leather. Henry walked in front of them, backwards, as he they talked.

Nadja knew what she had to do.

* * *

Regina, with the Evil Queen and Snow White by her side, introduced "Princess Nadja" and "Prince Henry" to the eager crowd.

The people of Storybrooke welcomed Nadja with cheers and smiles. They'd already welcomed Henry but it didn't stop them from cheering for him too. It was the perfect. But it wasn't over yet.

Nadja saw the Dark One before any of the others. He walked through the front door uninvited, unwanted. And with the wave of his hand sent all of Storybrooke, apart from her family and Grumpy, away.

Nadja clenched her fists.

The path to her was blocked. Regina and the Evil Queen at the front. Emma behind them. Snow behind her (she hadn't left her arrows). Henry, David, Hook and Grumpy were the closest to her. One on either side, in front of her and behind her.

All at once, Regina, the Evil Queen, and Emma used their magic on Gold. It stunned him. For a moment. His magic sent them flying in all directions. They hit the wall and tables with a loud crash. When they got up, Nadja noticed that one of her mothers was bleeding and the other was not.

Gold went after Henry next. But the magic intended for him was used against David, who pushed him out of the way. Nadja's magic sent Gold across the room, through the front door. The lights went out. Nadja looked down at her hands. They were still fisted at her sides. She hadn't moved them.

" _What happens at Granny's?"_

" _That, Nadja," the Seer said. "Is up to you."_

Nadja went outside to accept her fate. Inside of Granny's her family watched in horror as she sent the door back to its hinges and locked it. And locked them inside.

* * *

The book said that she could always control her magic. And it wasn't until she sent Gold flying that Nadja knew just how much power her magic held. She hadn't even touched him. The book also said that she could defeat the Dark One by darkening her heart. It was with a conflicted heart that she made her decision. Nadja turned to smile at her family. The locks wouldn't keep them in for much longer so she had to be quick. With the flick of a wrist, Gold was removed from the car that he'd crashed into and stood before her.

He laughed.

"You can't kill me, princess. Not without darkening your heart."

"With my magic? No." Nadja said. "But I can with this."

The Dark One's dagger appeared in the palm of Nadja's hand. Gold's eyes grew wide and when he lunged at her, a simple _stop_ from her mouth halted his movements.

"If there's one thing I've learned since being here it's: family is everything." Nadja said. And before she could be interrupted by her family, who finally managed to get the door open, she put up a barrier between herself and Gold and them. "Wouldn't you agree, Rumpelstiltskin?"

The Dark One nodded.

"It's why you've taken all of this power over the years. To find your son." Nadja said. "And that same love that you have for your son, is the same I have for my family. My moms, my brother, my sister. All of them."

Nadja motioned at the people behind her.

"Who's to say that you won't kill them once you get my magic? Who's to say you won't ruin someone else's life with a _deal_?" Nadja asked. "When I kill you with this, I become the Dark One. My heart darkens."

The Dark One didn't say anything.

"It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. For my family." Nadja said. "But there is only one way to make sure you never get my magic."

Nadja held out the dagger. The tears that had been threatening for the past few moments fell.

"Dark One, I command you to make amends with your wife. To open your heart to a second chance. And to leave _my_ family alone."

* * *

Under one of the tables at Granny's, Henry's story book flipped open. On the page was a photo of Nadja holding the Dark One's dagger. It read:

 _Becoming the Dark One was a sacrifice that the Princess was willing to make. But there was only one way to ensure that her magic wasn't used to harm anyone. The Princess turned the blade on herself._

 **tbc**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hope you've all had a great day today. Enjoy.**

Chapter Thirteen: The Final Performance

Everything happened within seconds.

"No!" Snow cried.

Regina wasn't too keen on the idea of her daughter becoming the Dark One. But she much preferred that option to the other one Nadja surprised everyone with. Watching Nadja turn the Dark One's dagger toward her chest was like watching Henry give his heart to Pan and watching Robin's soul be obliterated all over again. She heard a choked sob. But her mind was too busy trying to figure out a way to knock Nadja's barrier spell down to realize that it came from her.

When the Dark One's dagger pierced Nadja's skin, she was blown back by a force so strong that for a moment everything went black and everyone blinded by darkness. Her magic. The barrier fell as soon as Nadja's body hit the ground. Regina and the Evil Queen, followed by everyone else, ran to her. Nadja's body laid still on the ground. As Nadja bled out on Main Street, Regina felt her daughter's magic seep out with it.

And she couldn't stop it.

Her magic couldn't stop the bleeding. Nor could the Evil Queen's or Emma's. But they couldn't just do nothing. Regina gathered Nadja in her arms and used her magic to transport them to the hospital. Not before she witnessed the Evil Queen hurl a fireball at Gold's retreating form.

She missed.

As instructed, Gold was going to make amends with his wife.

* * *

 _Regina woke to a terrible pain. The pain was so severe it brought bile to her throat. Her hand reached down to cradle her swollen belly. That's when she felt the blood in the sheets. Something was wrong with the baby. There weren't any words for the pain Regina felt. She couldn't form any so she screamed for help._

 _The midwife came._

" _It's too early," Regina said._

" _I think this little one has other plans."_

 _At one point, Regina was certain she'd fainted. When she came to one of the handmaidens was cooling her sweating face with a damp towel. The midwife said something about the baby's head and for Regina to push. But she was too tired. "Your baby's ready to meet you," the midwife said. So, Regina pushed. And pushed. When it was over, Regina collapsed on the pillow. The baby's cry gave Regina just enough strength to reach for it. The midwife placed the newborn on her chest. Her baby's cries stopped almost instantly. Regina's had just started._

 _Regina loved Daniel. And her heart broke when he died. She closed herself off from the possibility of loving again. But nothing compared to the love that she felt when she held her newborn daughter for the first time._

" _I love you," Regina said. "So much."_

" _Congratulations," the midwife said. "It's a girl."_

* * *

Nadja had been taken into surgery immediately when Regina appeared in the main entrance of the hospital with her daughter in her arms. She followed the gurney all the way to the double doors that separated the OR from the rest of the building. As her daughter disappeared around the corner, Regina, her clothes stained in Nadja's blood, hoped that was not the last time she held her.

Five hours.

Nadja had been in surgery for five hours when the Evil Queen appeared with Henry by her side. Regina had moved to sit but she was still staring at the doors. Henry ran to hug her. She hugged him back. Snow and David arrived thirty minutes later. Throughout the duration of the surgery, Emma and Hook showed their faces, as well as others. But when Dr. Whale finally walked through the doors, the only people there were Regina, her counterpart, and Snow White.

"She's critical," Whale said. "The dagger nicked an artery. But her heart is not what I'm worried about. Nadja's skull is fractured. Her head hit the ground with force equivalent to blunt force trauma. We stopped the bleeding but unlike last time, her body isn't healing itself."

"What does that mean?" Regina asked.

"I'm sorry, your majesties. I don't expect her to survive the night."

* * *

 _The crowd was cheering._

 _For her._

 _Nadja looked at the crowd of unfamiliar faces. Then down at her outfit. She was wearing the same white dance costume that she wore in the first dream she shared with her mother. Only this time her hair was down. She didn't know what she'd just performed but the crowd seemed to like it. Nadja took a bow._

 _The curtains closed._

 _When she went backstage to her dressing room, Nadja found it empty. Save for the man standing at the vanity with her makeup piled onto it. She assumed it was hers because it was the only one in the dressing room with anything on it. The man held out a bouquet of daisies to her. Her favorite flower._

" _It's nice to finally see you again, my girl."_

 _Nadja cocked her head._

" _Father," she said._

" _You didn't think I'd miss your final performance, did you?"_

* * *

Despite it not being visiting hours, Regina had not left Nadja's side sense Dr. Whale had given them his diagnosis. Her heart wouldn't let her accept the fact that she was losing her daughter that she'd just got back. But her mind told her that something was wrong. Unlike Nadja's last time in the hospital, Regina hadn't been pulled into her head. Not for a nightmare. Not for a memory. It was like there was nothing there and that thought scared Regina.

"I love you," Regina whispered.

She kissed her daughter's forehead.

* * *

" _I know what you're thinking." King Leopold said. "And I have moved on. But when I heard that you were here, I just had to see you."_

 _They were walking side by side down a long, expansive hallway. Toward a door that kept moving away the closer they got to it. Her father was dressed in his king's robes and to anyone watching (not that Nadja saw) they looked like king and dancer. But Nadja doubted the title of king transferred after death. Maybe it did. She shrugged. The movement made her dizzy and the room spun. Nadja staggered in her walk. King Leopold grabbed her arm to keep her upright._

" _Where are we going?" Nadja asked._

" _A better place."_

 _Nadja pressed a finger to her temple. It helped to stop the room from spinning._

 _The king smiled sadly. "You look so much like your mother."_

 _Mother. When he said the word, Nadja's senses started buzzing. Like they always did in her mother's presence. It was like the day she was born and being near her mother calmed her cries. Nadja and her mother shared a close connection. And she could feel her although she couldn't see her._

 _King Leopold nodded towards the door. It had stopped moving. He held out his hand for her to take. "I'm sure you have more questions."_

 _Her mind was screaming._ What happens when you go through that door? _But she didn't voice her mind's concerns. She was too tired._

 _Nadja took his hand._

* * *

The Evil Queen found her other half asleep in the armchair next to Nadja's bed. It was the next morning. Nadja had survived the night after all. But it wouldn't be enough until she was awake. The Queen walked closer to the bed where her daughter slept. She wanted so badly to take her place but she couldn't. It's why she'd left the hospital in the first place. In search of the candle Snow had used to kill Cora.

The Evil Queen found the candle but she couldn't bring herself to use it. Not because her counterpart would be harmed. After the fallout at Granny's, she'd been injured and Regina had not. She didn't use the candle because she wanted to be there when Nadja woke up.

Nadja's hand was limp in hers when she kissed it.

"I love you, my sweet girl."

The Evil Queen climbed into the bed next to her daughter and let sleep take her.

 **tbc**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I made slight edits to this chapter. Enjoy.**

Chapter Fourteen: The Soulmate

 _On her sixteenth birthday, Daniella was to be crowned queen._

* * *

Gold went to make amends with his wife. Belle had greeted him with a frown and a cold glare. The blue of her eyes darkened in anger. She screamed at him. Blamed him for what happened to Nadja or, in her own words: _That poor, innocent girl_. Then after about another ten minutes of cold glares, Belle said to him, "Fix this."

That had been a week ago.

Now, he sat in the back of his shop. Conflicted. When he first set out to take Nadja's magic he hadn't planned on harming her. Her being comatose in the hospital said otherwise. But, in his defense, he didn't actually put her there. Nadja had used his dagger on herself. Which resulted in her hitting her head. Or so Whale explained. She'd survived so far. And since heroes always got their happy endings, Gold was sure that Nadja would pull through…but not without his help. No, she didn't need his help and she probably didn't want it. But in order to appease his wife, Gold couldn't just do nothing.

With the snap of a finger, Henry's story book sat on the table before him. Gold flipped through it, skipping to the parts of Nadja's story. There were several pages added since Nadja's arrival in Storybrooke. All depicting important and random moments. The last time he'd heard the heroes mention the book the last page had been about Nadja's stabbing herself. But, there was a new page now.

Things had just become...interesting.

* * *

The Evil Queen walked into the room and found Snow White sitting beside Nadja's bed. She was staring at the wall behind the bed, deep in thought. The Queen moved farther into the room. Since Snow hadn't moved or blinked, she guessed that she hadn't noticed. But then Snow spoke.

"Do you think she's in pain?" Snow asked.

"I would hope not."

Snow turned to look at her ex-stepmother then. Her eyes were red from crying. And the bags under her eyes gave away her lack of sleep. Whether it was from her son or Nadja or both, the Evil Queen didn't know. Nor, did she ask.

"It's been a week, Regina," Snow said. "No dreams. No memories. I feel like I'm just sitting and doing nothing. I'm her big sister, I should be doing something do help her."

The Evil Queen opened her mouth to say something but she didn't. Truthfully, she felt the same as Snow did. Her magic hadn't been enough to help her own daughter. And she'd tried every day. But it was more to it than just magic. The Queen had a feeling that the only thing that could help Nadja at this point was trapped inside of her head. They just needed to figure a way to get it out.

Snow smiled up at the queen when she felt the woman's hand on her shoulder. The moment was interrupted by Gold's presence. He stood in the hallway waiting to be invited before he stepped into the room. The Evil Queen, moment of sincerity gone, stared at the Dark One with daring eyes. The eyes of a mother who would do anything to protect her child.

"In case you've forgotten, I've been ordered to leave your family alone," Gold said. "I'm not here to harm you. I'm here to help."

"How can _you_ help us?" Snow asked.

Gold held up Henry's book. And when he was sure that he wouldn't be killed, he took a step into the room.

"I know how to wake Nadja."

"How?" asked the Queen.

"We're going on a trip."

* * *

They were still in the hospital but instead of Nadja's room, the Charming-Mills clan plus Gold and Hook were standing in the waiting area. Gold felt it better to wait for all of them to be present before explaining to Snow and the Evil Queen about this trip. Regina hadn't been too pleased to see Gold when she and Henry returned from their meeting with the principal. Neither had Henry.

"Another realm?" Emma asked.

"And how do you figure we're going to get there?" The Evil Queen asked.

"Well, you're going to enchant that fancy mirror of yours," Gold said. "I figured the lot of you would be much more comfortable if was you and not me."

"How do we know this isn't some kind of trick?" Emma asked. "You still haven't told us what exactly we're going to get."

"More like who," Gold said. "There's only one person who can help wake Nadja. Someone who can go into minds just like her."

"And who is this person?" Regina asked.

"Her soulmate." Gold said. "I'll explain more when we get there."

Regina looked at the people around her. And to her surprise majority of them, minus Henry and David, seemed to be considering what the Dark One was saying. She wasn't too keen on the idea of leaving Nadja behind to follow some quest for the likes of the Dark One. But at this point she'd do anything to have her daughter awake.

It was Snow who convinced her.

"At this point, I will do anything to get my sister back." Snow said. "I say we do it."

So, they did.

* * *

They came through a mirror in a tiny shack in the woods, much like the one the Seer brought them to in one of her memories. The Evil Queen was the first to exit the portal and she was met by the shocked faces of a little boy and girl sitting down for dinner. The confusion on their faces grew when they realized that she was not the only person coming through the mirror today.

The children's mother dropped her dishes to the ground when she entered the kitchen to see the Evil Queen and Regina, Henry, and Gold standing there. Snow, David, and Emma had not traveled with them. Opting instead to stay with Neal and Nadja. They figured someone with magic should stay behind to defend the sleeping princess. If she didn't hear from them by nightfall the next day, Emma was to close the portal.

Outside of the shack, loud music and chatter echoed for miles. The smell of feasts and wine engulfed the travelers. Something was worth celebrating today. But what?

The travelers took in their surroundings, confirming that they were in the Enchanted Forest. They left the mother and her children with their shocked faces and a few gold coins (for their silence), thanks to Regina. They made it about fifty yards from the house before the castle's guards were on them. Some on foot, most on stallions. The Evil Queen and Regina stood back on the defensive. Gold stood there nonchalantly. Henry stepped behind his mothers.

The lead guard stared at the two Reginas for a long moment before he removed his helmet and spoke.

"The Queen is expecting you," They recognized him as Lancelot. But this wasn't the Lancelot they knew. "Follow me."

* * *

They waited for the Queen in her throne room. She pushed through the tall double-doors about an hour after they arrived. Out of breath like she'd run there. Or rode her horse. She was dressed for the stables and to accommodate the cold weather, she wore a cloak. Her hair was in a braid that stopped in the middle of her back.

"Sorry, I'm late," the Queen said.

Unlike her visitors, the Queen wasn't unfazed by their presence. Instead she opted to take a large gulp of water from the goblet beside her throne, which she collapsed heavily into, out of breath. The citizens of Storybrooke, save for Gold, kept staring at her. Wide-eyed and open mouthed. Gold bowed.

"You're in the presence of a queen," he said. "Your Majesty."

The Queen laughed. It was soft and sweet and sounded like it made flowers grow. Her mismatched eyes were kind as well. "So am I."

After the initial shock, everyone (starting with Henry) bowed to the young queen. She shook her head with a smile on her face and a playful roll of her eyes. Lifting both of her index fingers in an 'up' motion, they stood.

"You do not have to bow down to me," Queen Daniella said. "There's still hours until the ball. How can I help?"

 **tbc**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Thank you all for the reviews on the last chapter. I don't want it to seem as though Snow and David are bad parents to Neal. So, I went back and did some editing. The edits are just mentioning that the only people to travel to the other realm are Regina, the Evil Queen, Henry, and Gold. Snow and David are back in Storybrooke with Emma and Hook. You don't have to read the edits. Nothing really changed. Enjoy.**

Chapter Fifteen: Change of Plans

Queen Daniella listened quietly as Rumpelstiltskin, no Mr. Gold—whoever, explained the travelers' reason for coming to her kingdom. Truthfully, she'd known for weeks now that they were coming. She knew who was coming and for what. For her entire life, the young queen had had dreams of the girl they were coming to save. Nadja.

Looking at the two women that resembled her mother gave Daniella pause. It'd been over a decade since the death of the Queen's mother, sister, and father. And she'd forgotten how beautiful her mother was.

The young queen blushed when she caught the eyes of the less theatrically dressed version of the other queens in the room. Daniella looked away. Her attention turned back to the story book handed to her by the boy named after her grandfather. _The other Henry_ , she had to remind herself. On the left page was a photo of Nadja asleep in a room. The travelers called it a "hospital."

Printed on the right side was a photo of Daniella at this very moment. Sitting on her throne, a child's story book in her lap. The two women that resembled her mother, their son, and the Dark One turned pawn broker all standing before her.

 _The princess's story does not end in Storybrooke. For she is not asleep but hiding. Her mind broken. Trapped in her head like a caged bird. The princess can be pulled from hiding. By someone with magic just as strong as hers. They are connected despite the realms separating them, for they share a soul. On the night that the princess was born, so was a queen._

Daniella closed the book. She sat silently for a long time. It was almost as if she'd forgotten that there were other people in the room with her.

"Your guard said that you'd been expecting us," the Evil Queen said. "How?"

"The Seer told me." Queen Daniella said. "Lancelot, show our guests to their chambers."

The young queen said nothing else as she left the room.

* * *

Regina sat on the bed in the unfamiliar room. She'd never been in this wing of the castle back in her Enchanted Forest. But it was decorated just the same. Dark floors, dark furniture, the finest linen on the beds. Bear skin rugs and high chandeliers. The flowers were different. Every window, table, nook, and cranny was decorated in a different color flower. Regina doubted that they were decorations for the ball. But an added touch by the young queen.

Downstairs, the ball was in full swing. Had been for the past few hours. It was a celebration in honor of the fall of King George. Daniella's kingdom had gained a new ally in the new king; King James.

Not many of the villagers had seen them upon their arrival. And the ones who had seen them had freaked at the sight of two of the long dead Queen Regina. Because of that, Regina and the Evil Queen had decided not to attend. Henry had gone to his room to change an hour ago. Since she hadn't seen him since, Regina figured he'd gone down.

Her thoughts were disturbed by a knock at the door. Regina laughed to herself as she went to open the door, expecting Henry. Her son. She was taken aback when she opened the door and found the Evil Queen on the other side. The woman was dressed to the nines as usual. Wearing blue velvet tonight.

"Magic doesn't work in the castle," the Evil Queen said.

Regina nodded and stepped aside for the other woman to enter. She had been too busy with her thoughts today to think about anything but Nadja to focus on her magic. Regina turned to face her other half.

"What brings you here?" Regina asked.

"The Seer lied to Leopold. How is any of this possible?"

"I don't think we're ever going to know the answer to that question."

"You will if you ask the right person," the two queens turned to the younger queen. For a moment, Regina thought she had her daughter back. Then she remembered that they weren't in Storybrooke anymore. And Nadja had only been in the Enchanted Forest for four days before she was taken away.

Daniella stood in the doorway, dressed in a red ball gown. Regina had worn it for one of Snow's birthday celebrations. Well, that had been back in their Enchanted Forest. The Regina here probably never had the chance to wear this dress. As Daniella walked fully into the room, Regina caught sight of the small things that she hadn't noticed earlier. Unlike Nadja, Daniella's ears were not pierced. Her face was fuller. And she wore a diamond ring.

"You're married?" Regina asked.

"Yes." Daniella considered the look on Regina's face. "We've known each other since we were children."

Regina and the Evil Queen both visually relaxed. Daniella moved over to the window. She stared out at it for a moment before speaking again. Regina saw that Daniella was staring at her mother's apple tree in the court yard.

"How long has it been since—?" Regina started.

"I was six years old when they died. I'm eighteen now." Daniella said. "I was two when Nadja woke from her sleep in the Land of Untold Stories. Time here had frozen somehow. It had something to do with your curse, I think."

Daniella turned back to face the Reginas before continuing.

"Your Seer did lie to the king," Daniella said. "But she did it by way of omitting the truth."

Regina and the Evil Queen exchanged a look.

"Babies born of the same soul are typically born within moments and miles of each other. That is why some people find their 'soulmates.' It is rare that soulmates are the same person across different realms." Daniella explained. "So rare that, if a Seer foresees this in an infant, he or she is to kill it. Even if the baby is the daughter of the king and queen."

"How do you know this?" the Evil Queen asked.

"The Seer showed me."

"Our Seer lied. What makes yours any different?"

"This Seer…he is my son."

Regina saw it. The small swell of Daniella's abdomen. It was barely noticeable and one would only know of it if they were looking for it.

"I will bring Nadja back to you." Queen Daniella said. "But I will not use magic. It is forbidden in my kingdom."

 **tbc**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Enjoy.**

Chapter Sixteen: New Moon

 _Mildred, Princess Daniella's handmaiden, tucked the child into bed. She was one of the older, tough-love, handmaidens who turned to leave without a kiss or lullaby. Daniella closed her eyes and turned on her side to face the window. There was no moon tonight. As always, she'd pretend she was asleep until Mildred left the room. The door opened._

" _Goodness me! I'm sorry, my queen," Mildred said._

" _It's not a problem, dear," Queen Regina said. "Is Daniella awake?"_

 _The princess opened her eyes at the sound of her mother's voice. The Queen had been busy for the entire week. In preparation for the upcoming trip to the neighboring kingdom with the king and Snow White. She'd stopped by one of Daniella's lessons earlier in the week. That had been the last time Daniella saw her mother._

" _Just about. It's been a long day," Mildred said. "Poor girl could barely keep her eyes open through dinner."_

 _That was true. But only because the princess's company was a bore. If she'd been dining with anyone else but Mildred, Daniella was sure she'd have had more pleasant conversations._

" _I will sit with her for a while," the Queen said._

" _As you wish, your majesty."_

 _Queen Regina's footsteps were light as she tiptoed towards Daniella's bed. She turned back to Mildred who bowed her head before leaving the room. The door shut quietly behind her. Queen Regina smiled down at her daughter as she sat on the bed beside her. Daniella turned to face her mother when the mattress dipped under her weight._

" _Hello, my sweet girl."_

" _Will you sing to me?"_

" _Of course."_

Queen Daniella leaned over the balcony. She hadn't gone to sleep when she retired to her bedchambers. Her husband hadn't returned from his trip with her grandfather and she didn't like sleeping alone. And she'd been thinking about her mother again. Whenever she wasn't thinking about a way to help Nadja, her thoughts were plagued by her mother's face. She missed her.

Daniella sighed and stared out at the moonless sky. Then at her mother's apple tree in the court yard. She had no idea, as she turned to go to bed, that her memory had been shared with the two women who resembled her mother.

* * *

"Good morning," Henry called as he looked up at Daniella. The young queen stood on a stool picking apples from her mother's tree. She smiled down at him.

"Good morning, Henry," Daniella said. "What are you doing awake?"

Henry hadn't slept much the night before and was out of bed at the first hint of sunlight. On his way downstairs for breakfast, he'd spotted the young queen outside by her mother's tree. He'd gone over to talk with her to pass time.

"Couldn't sleep."

"Me either."

Henry helped Daniella down from the wooden stool. She thanked him with a smile. He went to take the basket but Daniella waved him off. They walked back toward the castle. The basket of apples tucked under Daniella's right arm between them. When they were back in the kitchen Daniella took a hefty bite of an apple and offered one to Henry. He told her _no_ and explained that it, "runs in the family."

Daniella shrugged.

They sat in comfortable silence while the cooks prepared breakfast. Henry didn't want anything big but couldn't bring himself to tell the queen so. She had insisted that he and his moms and Gold were served the best meals during their stay. So, Henry stayed quiet.

It surprised Henry how talkative Daniella was. Each topic that their conversation moved to was even more interesting than the next. The queen had an open mind and deep insights. It was like talking with Nadja.

"Did you feel anything when she got hurt?" Henry asked.

Daniella shook her head. "Physically, no. But I could feel that her mind was troubled."

"Troubled how?"

"It's like your book says, she is trapped," Daniella said. "Inside of her mind. And with a gift like hers—ours, her mind will seek out people, places, and memories. Good and bad. Real and fake. She will be confronted with her greatest fears. Nadja won't know what's real and what's not."

"What about right now?" Henry and Daniella turned to see the Evil Queen standing behind them. There was a dejected look in her eyes. And she stared at Daniella like she was a lost puppy. It was the saddest that Henry had ever seen her. "Is she in a good memory or a bad one?"

"She is…in a better place."

* * *

 _On the other side of the door, King Leopold let go of Nadja's hand. They were in her high school gymnasium. Filled with her classmates and teachers. Decorated for the homecoming dance that Nadja did not attend. Nadja looked back at the king._

" _She didn't want to marry you," Nadja said. The words came out before she could stop them. She bit her lip nervously._

 _King Leopold smiled sadly. "I know and I'm sorry. When you see your mother again, I want you to tell her that. And tell her that I forgive her for having me killed."_

" _But…you said we were going to a better place."_

" _I already am in a better place, my girl," the king said. "And one day I trust you'll be there with me as well. Today is not that day."_

" _But…"_

" _This is where I leave you, my girl." King Leopold said. "Now, go. There's someone waiting to dance with you."_

 _In the center of the dancefloor among all of the other couples slow dancing, stood Samuel Peterson. Or as the Evil Queen called him, a suitor. He was a grade older and almost a foot taller than Nadja. But they were the same age. He had black hair and the most beautiful brown eyes. The kind that shined without the help of the sun. And every time Nadja saw him she got butterflies._

" _You look beautiful tonight," Samuel said. It was then that Nadja noticed the dress she was in. A short black number that she'd found online but never got the chance to order._

 _Nadja rested her head on Samuel's shoulder as they danced. Staring out of the window at the starry sky. Nadja smiled._

" _There's a new moon tonight."_

* * *

The Evil Queen looked from Henry to Daniella. Since they were pulled back from Nadja's head, they two of them had been staring at her. Unsure of what to say. She'd seen that Nadja was happy but she'd also seen the king. It had surprised her more than it surprised them that she didn't attempt to kill him. The Evil Queen wiped at her eyes.

"There was a new moon the night she was born," the Evil Queen said.

 **tbc**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Enjoy.**

Chapter Seventeen: A Walk Among Tombstones

 _Nadja's head pounded. It reminded her of the time in sixth grade when she got hit in the head with a baseball during P.E. Except worse. Like this time she was struck with the bat as well. The pain slowly subsided as her skull fused back together with her superpower._

 _She thought she was alone in the room until someone gasped. Nadja looked in the direction of the door just in time to see a nurse hurry out of the room. Mumbling something along the lines of, "going to get Dr. Whale," on her way._

 _As she waited, Nadja sat up in bed. Or, she tried to. The room spun violently. So, she settled for falling back against the pillows. Staring at the ceiling. There was little light in the room and Nadja guessed that it was nighttime. Dr. Whale walked into the room about five minutes later. The nurse trailing behind him. Whale looked at her in disbelief. Like he hadn't expected her to wake up anytime soon. Or, ever. And there was another look in his eyes. One that Nadja couldn't place._

" _How long was I out?" Nadja asked to break the silence._

" _Three weeks."_

 _Nadja hummed. Not wanting to nod her head for fear of the room spinning again._

" _My moms," Nadja said. "Are they here?"_

 _Dr. Whale shook his head._

" _Nadja, there's something you should know."_

 _She heard the hint of sorrow in his voice that matched the look in his eyes. The one that Nadja couldn't place until right now._

" _No," Nadja said._

 _Dr. Whale didn't respond._

* * *

"You saw her?" Regina asked. "And she was with _him_?"

The Evil Queen nodded.

 _And you didn't kill him?_ The question was unasked but Regina and the Evil Queen shared a mind. And the other woman answered anyway.

"She looked happy with her suitor," the Queen said. "I didn't want to ruin her moment."

They were walking toward the dining hall. Returning from the mirror that they had traveled through, to get word to Emma and Snow that they were alright. And the portal didn't need to be closed. Not yet, at least. Through the mirror, they'd seen Nadja. She still slept but her complexion hadn't been as pale as it had been when they left Storybrooke.

When they walked into the dining hall, Henry was talking with Lancelot. No doubt, asking a million questions about knighthood. Regina smiled at her son. Queen Daniella had yet join them. And, Gold, as impatient as ever, scowled at the older queens upon their arrival.

"We came here for one reason only, dearies," Gold said. "To wake your daughter. The Queen went into her head today, I've heard?"

Regina nodded.

"So, tell me, why didn't she pull her out?"

Regina opened her mouth to answer. To defend the young queen. But Gold waved an impatient hand. Not in the mood for excuses. He turned away from them as the women took their seats.

They had just broken bread. Well, duck. When the Queen Daniella finally made herself known. Neither of the Reginas had seen her since the early morning hours at breakfast. One thing that Regina learned about Daniella, during their short stay, it was that she preferred to be alone. Much like she had in her kingdom. Before and after her marriage to the king.

Sometime close to the end of their meal, Daniella stopped engaging in small talk. The servants were clearing their plates when Regina realized that Daniella wasn't actually with them.

* * *

" _I'm sorry for your loss," Dr. Whale had said eventually._

 _The first time Nadja tried to stand, she was on the floor within a second. Her nurse, Amelia, rushed to help her onto her feet and back in bed. It was for that reason that Dr. Whale had heavily objected her leaving bed for the rest of the day. But how could she sit still after learned that the family she'd just gotten had been taken away? The last thing she remembered was turning the Dark One's dagger on herself. Everything else was black. Apparently, Gold had found a loophole in her sacrifice. He killed her family while she laid unconscious._

 _Dr. Whale hadn't mentioned anything about magic. So, Nadja technically wasn't going against his wishes when she mustered up enough magic to transport herself out of the room._

 _On unsteady feet, Nadja walked among the tombstones. Until she found the final resting places of Regina Mills, Regina Mills/"The Evil Queen" and Henry Mills, Snow White/ "Mary Margaret," and Emma Swan._

 _A sob escaped Nadja as she staggered on her feet. The ones that followed brought her to her knees. This wasn't fair. She'd sacrificed herself. She should be the one dead and gone._

 _And just like that she was._

* * *

After making her nightly rounds around town, Emma stopped at the hospital. Her badge allowed her access to the ICU after visiting hours. She'd promised her mother that she'd drop by the hospital on her way home. Nadja looked the same as she had this morning. From a distance, at least. When Emma stepped into the room and closer to the bed, she noticed that Nadja was sweating. And her eyes were moving beneath her closed lids. It was like she was trying to open them but she couldn't.

Emma smoothed a hand over Nadja's forearm in a gesture to calm her. And it did seem to calm her for a moment. Then, the girl's body jerked upward. When Nadja fell back against the pillows she flatlined.

* * *

 _The photo they used at her funeral hadn't even come in the mail before her journey to Storybrooke. It was Nadja's junior class portrait. The one that would be featured in the upcoming yearbook. A headshot, cropped right below her shoulders. Her school crest was barely visible over her right shoulder. The white of her uniform shirt contrasted brightly against the standard blue backdrop. A single coat of mascara adorned her long eyelashes. Her mismatched eyes sparkled. Nadja had worn a messy high ponytail that day (because of course she'd have a bad hair day on picture day)._

 _Normally, she didn't like showing her teeth when she smiled. In candid photos like the ones she posted on social media. But she always showed her teeth in her class photos._

 _As she stared at the photo, Nadja couldn't help but wonder how her family in Storybrooke had gotten their hands on it. It hadn't come in the mail and she hadn't posted it on social media when they got the proofs back. Someone had to have been in contact with her foster family._

 _Her casket had already been lowered into the ground. The dirt on top fresh. But it wasn't the tombstone with her name on it or the photo that caused the burning tears in Nadja's eyes. It was the sight of her mothers standing next to her grave, crying freely, long after everyone else had gone._

 _Nadja Jane English_

 _Daughter, Sister, Dancer, Princess_

 _December 10, 2001 – May 19, 2017_

 _And as much as she wanted to run to them, Nadja knew they wouldn't be able to see her if she did._

* * *

Regina watched Daniella as she came to. The young queen blinked a few times as she took in her surroundings. Her eyes took in the sight of the other's concerned eyes. Daniella blinked again. A hand resting on her small baby bump.

"When I was ten, a king named Silas threaten to cut ties with this kingdom, my kingdom," Queen Daniella said. "If I did not marry his son…my grandfather Henry made most of my decisions at the time. With my input, of course.

"He did not want me to marry Silas's son. Nor did I want to marry him. My grandmother, Cora, on the other hand insisted that I did marry the prince. After my coronation. My grandparents fought over everything but that was the big fight. It drug on for years."

As Daniella spoke, she shared the memories with her audience.

" _If our ties are severed with Silas, our kingdom suffers, Henry," Cora said. "Not to mention these negotiations tend to lead to war."_

" _We've got good men."_

 _The heir to the throne, now thirteen, watched from the hallway. Usually, her grandparents fought out in the open, for everyone to hear. But since they had company from a neighboring kingdom, their fight had moved to Henry's bedchamber. She loved her grandparents, she did. But the decision was not up to them. It was up to her. She was to be Queen._

" _If war is the price," Daniella said as she walked into the room. "It is one we have to pay."_

" _Daniella—" Cora started._

" _No. I will not be forced into a marriage that I do not want. Should it lead to war, our soldiers will be ready."_

Everyone was silent as they listened to the Queen. The next memory that she showed them was a battlefield of dead soldiers. Her own soldiers. Some of them had died in battle but not all of them. The ones who had survived were killed by Cora's hand. She had used her magic. Trying to make a statement, no doubt.

Regina had wondered why she hadn't seen her mother's alter ego around the castle. And she hadn't been there for Daniella's coronation in her memory.

" _This is_ my _kingdom," Daniella had said before pushing her grandmother through the enchanted mirror (the same one that Regina had pushed her mother through in their realm). From that moment on, magic was banned in the kingdom. A spell put together by this realm's Rumpelstiltskin._

Now she knew why.

"I have no choice," Daniella said. "She is giving up."

* * *

Sitting on the ground, not too far from where she was buried, Nadja sat. Her face tucked into her knees, rocking as she struggled for breath. Henry had had his share of them for Regina to recognize a panic attack. Daniella motioned for she and the Evil Queen to walk toward their daughter. They did.

Nadja's head popped up suddenly.

The tears on her face had dried. She raised in eyebrow in confusion as she watched a girl who looked just like her walk toward her. Daniella smiled. She had not made the other queens's presence known to Nadja. But as they moved closer her, Nadja's breathing evened out. She calmed.

"None of what you see right now is real, Nadja," Daniella said.

"W-who are you?"

"My name is Daniella."

Daniella waved her hand and the grave disappeared. In its place, a small garden of daisies sprouted from the ground. Nadja's eyes widened at the sight of the other girl using magic. The young queen kneeled before the princess.

Regina and the Evil Queen watched.

"My head hurts," Nadja said. "I can't wake up."

"I know."

"What if I never wake up?"

"Nadja, this is your fight. Your story. And it will end here. If you choose to give up right now and give into the pain. The fear of not waking up," Daniella said. There were tears in her eyes. "But I have seen the things you will do. Great things. Not so great things."

Nadja laughed but sniffed immediately after. Daniella took her hands.

"You will be happy. And you will be loved. You are loved."

Together their magic replaced all of the graves with flowers. Flowers of every color and species. But, daisies, Nadja's favorite, grew closest to her.

"And there are people waiting for you to wake up."

At that moment, Daniella made Regina and the Evil Queen known to Nadja. They didn't know she could see them until she stood and threw her arms around them. "Mom!" Nadja said. Followed by: "Mom!"

Daniella stood. Smiling at the sight of the mothers and their daughter. She didn't want to ruin the moment but the longer Nadja spend inside of her head, the longer she slept in Storybrooke. When Nadja turned to look at her, Daniella held out her hand. With one last look at her mothers, Nadja took the young queen's hand.

Daniella touched her forehead to Nadja's.

"Don't be afraid," she whispered.

Regina watched Daniella use her magic. Nadja disappeared in a swarm of butterflies.

* * *

In Storybrooke, a nurse was making her morning rounds. Her last stop was in the princess's room. The girl had flatlined the night before. And what Dr. Whale had assumed to be no brain function had turned out to be a stopped heart. After a few chest compressions, the girl's heart was beating again.

To say the nurse was surprised when the girl's eyes opened would be an understatement.

* * *

After they were pulled from Nadja's head, Queen Daniella used her magic to enchant a mirror. It hung in a corridor closest to the dining hall. Through it, Regina and the Evil Queen and Henry watched Nadja wake up in her hospital room in Storybrooke.

"You did it," Henry beamed.

Daniella smiled but it did not reach her eyes. The young queen's mind was clearly elsewhere. Regina took her hand. In hopes of guiding the girl away from whatever was troubling her. Daniella blinked and turned her attention to the woman holding her hand.

"Magic always comes at a price," Daniella said. "And use of my magic counteracts the spell. It was the only thing keeping Cora away...It has been my pleasure serving as your host but you all should go. I do not wish for you to meet her."

The young queen turned and walked away.

 **tbc**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Sorry, it's been a few days since the last update. I'm working on two papers. But I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.**

Chapter Eighteen: Understudy

The first thing Nadja tried to do when she woke was sit up. She groaned. Her body stiff from being in the same position for however long she was out. And the room spun. Though there was no pain where she'd hit her head. When she looked over at the stunned nurse, Nadja saw two of the woman in scrubs. Her vision slowly returned to normal as the nurse retreated to find Dr. Whale. It was only then that Nadja realized, for the first time, that he seemed to be the only doctor in town.

When he finally came into the room, Dr. Whale looked at her much like he had in her dream. Like he hadn't expected her to wake up anytime soon. The surprise quickly faded from his eyes as he moved to examine her head wound beneath the dressing. Although, he, she, and the nurse know that it was already healed. He then proceeded to ask Nadja a series of questions. About her birthday, parents, school, the last thing she remembered. All of which she answered truthfully. The last thing she remembered was turning the dagger on herself. She left out the part about the girl named Daniella, who looked just like her, helping to wake her up.

The questions stopped. Dr. Whale looked at Nadja, his lips in a thin line and nodded. He said some things to the nurse in a language that only doctors and nurses seemed to understand. The nurse then turned her attention to Nadja and asked if she could get her anything. A glass of water, another blanket, or a magazine. Nadja shook her head.

Dr. Whale checked the monitors and IVs before telling Nadja to get some rest. And as much as she wanted to protest, Nadja simply smiled and nodded. She knew she wouldn't be sleeping anytime soon. The smile stayed on her face as she watched Dr. Whale walk to the door. He stopped and said; "Your family will be here soon."

She would rest. Only until she got enough strength to use her magic. It was still within her, she could feel it. But both her body and mind were too tired to use it.

Dr. Whale and the nurse left the room. Nadja's smile faded. That gut feeling she had the night she'd saved her family from the Dark One was back. Something bad was about to happen.

Again.

* * *

 _Nadja took several deep breaths._

 _It had been one week since Emily Hayward twisted her ankle in the studio. Emily had been at the studio for the longest, and unlike the other girls at the studio, she had been trained in ballet. That's why most people felt Nadja lost the part to her. But Nadja knew better. Technically, she was the stronger dancer. Emily had seniority. And Nadja didn't "lose" the role. She was the understudy._

 _Well, not anymore._

 _A week ago, she had been refilling her water bottle at the water fountain when their coach, Mrs. Dobbins, rushed out of studio B. She pointed to Nadja and said: "You're up, kid." Emily was sitting on the floor, ice on her ankle, waiting for her mom to come get her when Nadja walked into the room._

 _Now, she sat at the vanity, five acts away from taking the stage, second guessing herself. The costume (a black and red embroidered leotard with a high, spiked neck piece) was beautiful. Her dark hair, pulled into a tight bun adorned with black beads, was pleasing on the eye. And her makeup, stood out with the pop of red on her lips. But she still felt like she'd screw it up._

 _Sure, she'd been in dance most of her life but this was the first big performance. Her first solo. Coach Dobbins and her assistant were making their rounds. Making sure that the other girls were dressed for the group performance. The coach smiled when she stopped at Nadja's vanity. She squeezed her shoulder._

" _Don't worry, kid. You're gonna do great."_

 _And Nadja had. She received both a standing ovation and first place trophy for her performance as the Evil Queen._

* * *

The Evil Queen smiled at the memory. And she had no doubt that the mayor was smiling in her chambers as well. It was the first memory that Nadja shared with them since waking. She had shared many with them since she'd come into their lives but none of her actually dancing. This was the first time that either of them had seen her dance. And what a beautiful Evil Queen she was.

The Evil Queen laughed.

It was funny the way life worked. Nadja's costume was a far stretch from the Disney version (as Henry called it) of the Evil Queen. But, on that stage, she was the splitting image of the real Evil Queen. Her mother.

The Evil Queen got out of bed and went in search of Daniella. She and the others had accepted her wish for them to return to Storybrooke but not until morning. Much to Gold's annoyance. The Queen sighed. She'd found no search of Daniella in her bedchambers. Her search then turned to the kitchen and dining halls, thinking that the young queen had gotten up for food. It was something she did a lot when she was pregnant with Nadja.

Again, there was no sight of her.

That's when she resorted to magic. Since Daniella's own magic had counteracted the spell put on the castle, all magic could work in the kingdom. The Evil Queen used hers to take her to wherever Daniella was.

* * *

The former King and Queen and Crown Princess were buried among the many that had come before them. In a graveyard behind the east wing of the castle. King Leopold and Snow White were buried next to Snow's mother, Eva. Queen Regina was buried a few rows over. A chill ran through the Evil Queen as she passed the tombstone with her name on it. That was where she found Daniella.

The Young Queen had paused in her pacing and turned to face the other queen the moment she poofed up behind her.

"Sometimes I wish I'd been with them that day," Daniella said. "When they were ambushed. But I wasn't. I was in my room playing with dolls…And now, I'm the queen." Daniella wiped at her eyes. "What are you doing out here?"

"I couldn't sleep."

It was the truth. The Evil Queen hadn't been asleep when Nadja shared the memory. She had, however, been thinking. About many things. Mostly Nadja and Henry. Daniella and her unborn son. But for a moment, a worrying thought about this other Cora had troubled her. She'd killed Daniella's entire army once before what was to stop her again? What did she want? Time would tell.

"Have you grieved them?" the Evil Queen asked. She was watching Daniella who had turned her attention back to her mother's grave. "Your family?"

"I have made my peace. One day, I will see them again."

Daniella turned her turned her head toward the older queen. But it wasn't the woman that she was looking at. The Evil Queen turned in time to see a few men of Daniella's guard, led by Lancelot, coming their way. In the distance, beyond the trees, the sky was ablaze. The sun was rising.

And the closest village was burning.

* * *

Nadja sat in bed staring at Henry's story book. She'd tested her magic by conjuring it up. And she was about to use her magic to transport herself to her mother's crypt when Snow White walked into the room pushing a sleeping Neal in a stroller. Emma followed a moment later. Snow smiled at her.

"Snow!" Nadja said. She lowered her voice when she remembered the sleeping baby. Snow laughed and walked over to hug her sister. Nadja buried her face in Snow's neck. This was the first contact, outside of her head, with family that she'd had.

"It's good to see you, too," Snow laughed.

"Glad you're okay," Emma said.

Nadja embraced her sister for a while longer before letting her go. Emma suggested that they go down to the cafeteria to get something to eat. To which, Nadja readily agreed.

* * *

 _The young boy laughed as he watched the princess sweep the stables. Daniella was not like the other royals that he'd met in his short life. She insisted on doing things on her own. Things that she could do at six-years-old, that is. The princess wasn't allowed to cook. That she could only observe. Dressing (except for special events) and cleaning was something the king and queen allowed her to do._

" _Let me," the boy said. "You shouldn't. You're the future queen."_

" _Finnegan," Daniella rolled her eyes. "Snow is to be queen. She's the firstborn. I'm just a princess."_

 _Finnegan laughed, embarrassed. He always forgot about Daniella's older sister. Snow White was Lancelot's age. His older brother talked about the Crown Princess quite often. But Finnegan had only seen her once. At Daniella's birthday celebration, the year before._

" _But you could be," Finnegan said. "The Queen."_

 _If something were to happen to her parents and Snow White._

" _That still doesn't mean I can't clean after my horse."_

 _The horse mentioned was currently roaming free in the fields._

" _I guess you're right."_

 _Daniella smiled at Finnegan as he came over to help sweep. But before he could do anything, Daniella tensed. It was something she often did in the presence of…_

" _We have stable boys to clean, Daniella," Cora said._

* * *

Daniella's magic transported she and the Evil Queen to the chaos that her guards were coming to warn her about. Regina and Gold came moments later. Henry had been left in the castle under the watchful eye of Lancelot's right-hand man. The Evil Queen had no time to question the memory that Daniella had shared (and she was certain that Daniella hadn't realized she did) as she watched the scene unfold in front of her.

The young queen fell to her knees. Some people were screaming inside of their burning homes, trapped. Some had fallen in the streets. Men, women, children who had not burned. Who were not burning. It seemed as though they'd all just collapsed. Daniella screamed.

When she screamed the fires died out.

"My Queen," Lancelot and his men finally broke through the trees on their horses. His stallion came to a stop beside the young queen. Daniella stood, slowly. When she spoke, she didn't turn to look at the queens or the Dark One. Calmly, simply, she said:

"It's time for you to return to Storybrooke."

* * *

Before either of them could object, they were standing in Nadja's hospital room. The Evil Queen looked at her other half, Gold spun in a circle. Henry wasn't as confused. Nothing really surprised him anymore.

Daniella's magic has transported them across different realms. Something that the queens and the Dark One knew to be impossible. But she had done it.

Nadja gasped when she walked back into the room. Snow had stopped to change Neal in the restroom. And Emma left a while earlier. Something about Grumpy. But that didn't matter. Nadja ran to hug her mothers and Henry. She'd even hug Gold, if she didn't remember what he did. But her steps faltered when she saw the looks on their faces.

"What happened?"

 **tbc**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Hey, guys. I have so many ideas on how to end this story that I wrote and re-wrote this chapter five times. It shouldn't be long now. Hope you enjoy.**

Chapter Nineteen: Home

"What happened?"

The look of surprise on Henry's face when he saw his book on the hospital bed confirmed Regina's suspicions. Here it sat in Storybrooke but had travelled with them to the other Enchanted Forest. Which could only mean one thing: Nadja's magic could move between realms like Daniella's. Instead of answering Nadja's question, for the moment, Regina and the Evil Queen welcomed her with open arms.

Regina would answer any questions that Nadja had. But not now. For now, she wanted nothing more than the feeling of having her daughter in her arms. Alive and awake. And yes, a part of her wanted to go back to Daniella's Enchanted Forest to thank her personally for her help. Regina wanted to help her against the other Cora. But she'd be damned if she brought Nadja into a realm with a living and breathing Cora without plan.

Despite Nadja's full recovery and the mini family reunion in her room, Dr. Whale didn't discharge her until that evening. By then, it was only Regina and Nadja in the room. Gold had rolled his eyes and disappeared behind his crimson cloud of smoke not even five minutes after they got back. Henry was staying with Emma tonight. He, Snow, and Neal left together. And the Evil Queen? She'd gone to close the portal that they had not come through, "just in case."

Regina watched her daughter as they walked out into the cool evening air. Nadja turned her face up to the sky, eyes closed, and smiled. Regina's heart fluttered at the sight. She couldn't believe that she'd given birth to such a darling girl.

"I missed you so much," Regina said.

"I missed you, too." Nadja opened her mismatched eyes and turned her smile to her mother. It was maybe the fifth or sixth time her mom had said it but she answered anyway. Then she said, "let's go home." Mother and daughter linked arms and Regina's magic took them to the mayoral mansion.

Dinner was Nadja's choice, not that they had many dining options in Storybrooke. To Regina's surprise, she wanted her mother's oh-so-famous lasagna. So, lasagna it was. Regina began preparing dinner while Nadja went upstairs to shower. Or, as she put it, "rid myself of hospital germs." To which, Regina laughed.

* * *

 _Regina groaned._

 _Tonight, the baby was restless. She was still a few months shy of delivery but her stomach was large enough for her to remain constantly uncomfortable. For the third night in a row, the queen got out of bed. The night before, she'd asked her handmaiden to draw her a bath. Then, her muscles were tired. A bath wouldn't do tonight. So, Regina slipped on her robe and left the room._

 _The room that would be the future prince's (she had a feeling it would be a boy and, with her luck, he'd look like his father) room was a few doors down from her own. Regina had yet to go inside of the nursery until now._

* * *

Regina was putting the lasagna in the oven when the memory hit. It was her own memory, but she had not been thinking it. Too lost in the memory, she had not seen the Evil Queen make her appearance. But she didn't have to turn around to know that she was there. Regina could sense the Evil Queen's annoyance as she set the oven's timer and moved the dirty dishes to the sink.

"You do realize you have magic," the Evil Queen said.

"I do. But I prefer cooking the old-fashioned way," Regina said. "Will you be joining us?"

The Evil Queen shrugged. She'd changed her outfit since Daniella poofed them back to Storybrooke. Her hair was up and the black corseted dress she wore was less dramatic than any of the others. Still, it would stand out among a crowd.

"I suppose so," the Evil Queen said. Then, realizing her sharp tone, added, "I'm sorry."

Regina hummed. The Evil Queen's mind was going a mile a minute. Like memories, they shared thoughts. Yet, she had no idea why the other woman was thinking about that particular moment of their pregnancy. And she wouldn't ask. Right now, the queen's distress about Daniella sending them away was her own. Sure, they were back with their daughter and happy that she was okay. But another part of them dreaded the fact that they'd left Daniella there with the other Cora.

"It's just," the Evil Queen said. "Our mother pushed us into becoming _this_ ," she used her hands to emphasize herself, the Evil Queen. "She killed Daniel, married us off to the king. And sure, the same thing happened to Daniella's mother. But the perks of being dead is she's no longer subject to Cora's torment. Daniella was."

 _It's time for you to return to Storybrooke._

Regina remembered Daniella's words. The young queen had gritted them out like nails against a chalk board. In that moment, she was not the loving queen they knew her to be. She was…it dawned on Regina at that moment. She'd used that tone to address _Snow White_ many times.

"You think…?" Regina shook her head. "No."

Daniella talked openly about many things. How the people in her Enchanted Forest differed from their other selves in Storybrooke. The Rumpelstiltskin there had found another way to find his son without the Dark Curse. Lancelot was her best soldier. Prince James was now the ruler of George's kingdom. Snow White and Regina were dead. There was a story for everyone…except the Evil Queen.

"She's going to kill Cora," The Evil Queen said.

Blacken her heart.

One step closer to becoming the Evil Queen.

* * *

Nadja changed into her pajamas. Fresh from her shower, she moved to stand in front of the mirror to brush out her wet hair. Only, when she looked up, she wasn't in the bathroom anymore.

 _Instead, she was in a room that she'd never stepped foot in before but knew it to be Daniella's bedchambers. She'd known this before she spied the sleeping queen. Nadja walked closer to the bed, trying to understand the lump she saw from her spot across the room. When Daniella had gone into her mind to wake her, Nadja had not noticed the baby bump. It was larger now. Like Daniella was due to give birth any day._

 _She'd been pulled into someone's head. And she had a feeling it wasn't Daniella's._

 _Daniella didn't feel Nadja's eyes on her. Nor did she feel the small hand reach out to cradle her stomach. The baby kicked. One hard kick followed by two softer ones. It was almost like the baby recognized her. Was trying to call out to her. But before she could question it, Nadja was hit with a flood of memories (new and old). Her life flashing before her eyes. Daniella's life. She saw it all, except the end._

 _She gasped._

" _You can save her."_

 _Nadja jumped at the voice behind her. She turned to see a little boy no more than ten. He had brown eyes and curly brown hair. The little boy smiled at her, revealing two missing teeth. And it wasn't until he smiled, a copy of his mother's, that Nadja realized who he was._

" _You can save her," the little boy said. "Like she saved you."_

Before Nadja could respond the boy was gone and she was back in the bathroom.

 **tbc**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to every person who has reviewed, favorited, and followed this story. You are all the motivation I need to keep writing. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

Chapter Twenty: The Rocking Horse

 _A rocking horse sat in a corner of the nursery._

* * *

"Mirror, show me Queen Daniella," Nadja said. And then, when nothing happened immediately, added, "…please." To which the Evil Queen chuckled. Nadja didn't need to speak to the mirror to find Daniella but she had insisted. The mirror had heard her request, it was just taking longer for it to find the person it sought. Daniella was a smart girl, she wouldn't make it easy to track her this way, especially since she'd banished her grandmother. Finally, after about two minutes, Nadja and the Evil Queen saw the young queen through the mirror.

" _Finnegan!" Daniella was in her husband's arms no less than one minute after she spied the arriving carriage through one of the palace windows in passing. He and her grandfather weren't due back for another three days. And despite the current situation with Cora (who had yet to make an appearance) Daniella was extremely excited to see him. "I've missed you, my love."_

 _Finnegan chuckled pulling from Daniella's tight embrace only to kiss her. This kiss was only broken when Daniella laid eyes on her grandfather, who was standing by the carriage. Giving the two young lovers a moment to be reacquainted. With one last peck to Finnegan's lips, Daniella ran to her grandfather._

" _There's my favorite girl," Henry said._

The Evil Queen sucked in a breath at the sight of the man who was and was not her father. In appearance, yes. Naturally, no. He and the other Cora had birthed another Regina. One who had not ripped his heart out to cast a Dark Curse. It warmed the Evil Queen's heart to see him happy and alive.

 _Much to Nadja and the Evil Queen's surprise, Daniella parted ways with her husband and grandfather about fifteen minutes into their reunion. There were many mirrors in the castle so it was easy to follow the young queen on her trek throughout the corridors. Daniella told the guard on post not to let anyone inside before walking into one of the many studies. There was a small handheld mirror in one of the drawers._

 _She'd known they were watching._

Thunder roared outside.

"Did something happen?" With the wave of a hand, Daniella was standing in the crypt with Nadja and the Evil Queen. Her demeanor was starkly different than when they saw her with her husband and grandfather. And she had a scowl on her face to match. "Well?"

"I just wanted to see you," Nadja said. "And make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine."

"Daniella…" the Evil Queen started. Daniella held up a hand to stop her. Her attention had been drawn elsewhere. Behind Nadja and the Evil Queen. At the entrance of the crypt stood Snow White and Henry.

" _Snow White,"_ Daniella said. She stared a little too long before her attention turned back to Nadja. "If you wish to talk, you know where to find me."

Then she was gone.

* * *

"Absolutely not," Regina said. She did a double take when she transported to her crypt and saw the Evil Queen dressed down in jeans and a blouse. In her casual dress, the only thing that separated their appearances was the Evil Queen's long hair. This was Nadja's doing for sure. But they could address that later. "You're not going there alone."

"To be fair," Henry said. "She didn't say Nadja had to come alone."

Henry was met with a glare from each of his mothers. He then held up both hands in mock surrender as he and Nadja shared a laugh. Regina's annoyance at his sarcastic tone quickly faded. The sound of her children laughing made the situation seem more easily approachable, not that it was a bad situation to begin with. Still, she was wary. Not of Daniella's (because clearly what Nadja and the Evil Queen described as an _attitude_ could actually be due to pregnancy hormones) intentions but of Cora.

"Please, Mom," Nadja said. "I may be the only one who can help her."

She was. That everyone knew.

"You guys will be able to see everything through the mirror. And if I think something's not right I'll be back here before you know it."

Hopefully so.

* * *

A rocking horse sat in a corner of the nursery.

That's where Nadja found Daniella…and Finnegan. Finnegan nearly jumped out of his skin when Nadja appeared behind her black cloud of magic. But his fear quickly turned into confusion as he looked from his wife to the girl that looked exactly like her. Daniella smoothed a hand up and down his forearm. He was a soldier like his brother and after his confusion settled, he reached for his weapon. A sword.

"It's okay, my love," Daniella said. "Nadja's not here to harm us. Can you give us a moment alone?"

Finnegan stared between the two young women. Finally nodding. He kissed Daniella before heading to the door, stopping for a moment to shake Nadja's hand. Daniella used her magic to lock the door behind him.

Through the many windows, Nadja saw lightning strike outside. The bolt so bright that everything outside turned into a white blur for a moment. Thunder followed. A raucous noise that seemed to vibrate the room. Back in Storybrooke, Nadja had dismissed the thunder. Not at all paying attention to the fact that when she woke up, the sun was high in the sky and there were no clouds. Now that she thought about it, she assumed these occurrences were due to she and Daniella being in the same vicinity. Physically. When they were in her head, the magic was flowery.

Literally.

"I never got the chance to thank you," Nadja said to Daniella. Though she was facing the girl's back. Daniella had turned to face the crib where her future son would sleep. Her hand moved back and forth over the smooth wood. "For helping to wake me. And I wanted to apologize. Because if you hadn't used magic, Cora wouldn't be a threat."

Daniella laughed. She turned to face Nadja then. If she noticed the weather outside, she didn't show it. "You know what I think? I think that you and your mothers think that I'm afraid of Cora."

"I never said…"

"I'm not afraid of her," Daniella said. "Maybe when I was younger, yes. But not anymore…I'm going to kill her. And you can't talk me out of it."

Nadja took a deep breath. She thought long and hard about her next words.

"If you want to kill Cora, go ahead. I'm not going to stop you," Nadja said. "What I want is for you to think about it first. You'll darken your heart."

"I have thought about it! I've thought about it my entire life." Daniella said. "Nothing good ever comes with Cora in the mix."

Nadja rolled her eyes at Daniella's outburst. She moved across the room to where the rocking horse sat. It was covered in a layer of dust.

"Do you know what this is?" she asked.

Daniella shook her head.

* * *

 _Regina groaned._

 _She was still a few months shy of delivery but her stomach was large enough for her to remain constantly uncomfortable. For the third night in a row, the queen got out of bed. The night before, she'd asked her handmaiden to draw her a bath. Then, her muscles were tired. Not tonight. Tonight, the baby was restless. A bath wouldn't do. So, Regina slipped on her robe and left the room._

 _The room that would be the future prince's (she had a feeling it would be a boy and with her luck, he'd look like his father) room was a few doors down from her own. Regina had yet to step inside of the nursery until now._

 _And she wasn't the only Regina to do so._

 _In another Enchanted Forest, the nursery was unfinished. Filled with the most expensive furniture cut from wood of the most lavish trees. Dark wood. The linen in the crib was white accented with gold trimmings. Suitable for a princess if the baby was a girl. The King had left the design of the nursery entirely up to the Queen. To which she'd blindly accepted the first image that the designer sketched. The way the nursery looked didn't matter. So long as the baby was healthy._

 _Regina ran a hand along the smooth wood of the circular crib until her hand came into contact with the white linen. It was then that she observed the crib was twice the size necessary for a newborn. But who was she to say anything? This was the King's baby. Regina closed her eyes to picture the baby that she'd grown to love sleeping inside the massive crib._

" _Mother," Daniella whispered._

 _Daniella's eyes filled with tears as she saw her mother standing in the same room she stood in not even a full minute ago. Her first instinct was to run to her mother but she stood frozen in her steps when the double doors flew open and her grandmother walked into the room. The other women couldn't see she or Nadja but that didn't stop them from holding their breath._

" _What are you doing out of bed?" Queen Regina rolled her eyes at the sound of the voice behind her. She frowned when she turned her head to see her mother moving further into the nursery. Toward her. The baby's restlessness got worse. Both Daniella and Nadja knew this because they were that baby._

" _Mother, what are you doing in here?"_

" _Since it seems you are otherwise too occupied, I have tasked myself with decorating the nursery. Where to place the crib, hang the lights. Things like that," Cora said. The lights came on with a flick of her wrist. "I do my best thinking at night."_

" _You will not use magic in here." Regina frowned. "I forbid it."_

 _Cora laughed. But it quickly died on her lips when she went to move one of the chest of drawers and no such thing happened. She tried again. And at that same moment nothing happened, Regina was met with a strong kick from the baby inside of her. It was like the baby sensed her uneasiness (she'd flinched each time Cora raised her hand) and was trying to tell her._

 _But both Daniella and Nadja knew this was the first time they were using their magic. Regina had wished for Cora to not use magic and the baby was making that wish come true._

 _Instinctively, Regina's hand went to her stomach. The baby calmed immediately._

" _There's no need for you to do anything tonight," Regina said. "I want to be left alone."_

 _Cora opened her mouth to protest. But Regina raised a hand to stop her. The last time Regina and her mother spoke had ended in an argument. One where Cora had accused her of not wanting the baby growing inside of her womb. And if she were being honest, at one point she did not. But the baby started growing and moving. And as it grew and moved, Regina realized that it was not just the king's baby she carried. This baby was also hers. And she would love it. No matter what._

" _Don't say anything. Just go."_

 _And, much to Regina's surprise, Cora turned and went (again because the baby was seeing to its mother's wishes). The double doors of the nursery closed lightly behind her. Regina let out a breath and opened her eyes. She'd closed them when Cora walked away, her attention drawn to rubbing smooth circles where her baby rested._

" _Please don't be like her," Regina whispered. "Promise me that you'll always be good."_

 _The Queen couldn't see it when Daniella pushed down on the rocking horse's head to make it move. But when her eyes opened, she saw the rocking horse in the corner of the room…rocking slowly._

 _Back and forth._

 _Back and forth._

 _A silent promise._

* * *

Daniella wanted nothing more than to thank Nadja for the memory, Nadja could tell by the look on her face. The memory had come from one of the many the Seer inside of Daniella showed her. She was going to explain it to Daniella when the other girl's attention quickly turned to the doorway. Nadja turned to see Cora standing there. And she was just as shocked to see _two_ of them as they were to see her.

"Nadja, go!" Daniella screamed.

Nadja was conflicted. She didn't want to leave Nadja alone but she had promised her mothers that she'd be back at the first sign of trouble.

"Go," Daniella said again.

Nadja nodded. And as the shock faded from Cora's face, she disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.

 **tbc**


End file.
